Sweet Ladybug Baked Goods: Abington-Area Small Business Spotlight

ABINGTON, PA — Check out our Abington area small business spotlight for this week: Sweet Ladybug Baked Goods.

• Business: Sweet Ladybug Baked Goods, LLC
• Owners: Elizabeth Miles
• Website: www.sweetladybugbakes.com
• Address: 2940 Oklahoma Road, Willow Grove, PA (registered mailing address for the business)

What business are you in?

"Gluten-free baked goods."

How did you come up with the name?

"Ladybugs are a symbol of luck and love, and bring smiles when people see them. We want to spread happiness and love with our products, offering delicious, fresh-baked gluten-free items. Ladybugs have also been a family symbol for our family since the birth of my 3rd child."

Why start a business in this town?: This is a fantastic town, with a very supportive community. Many of our regular customers are local to this area.

What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?

"Packaging, and funding expansion efforts."

"What’s been your proudest achievement since opening?: When we are working at farmer's markets, a lot of customers approach the table and don't necessarily realize that the product is gluten-free. One of the best feelings is watching a customer light up when they realize that we offer products that are safe for them to eat. We also love seeing their big smiles when they open the product and taste it for the first time. It is also very fulfilling that many customers say that they would never know that they are eating a gluten-free product. "

How does your business give back to the community?

"In June we launched our Cookies for a Cause campaign in order to raise awareness for Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. We feature one of our customers on our blog, talking about their story with Celiac. We then have them tell us their favorite cookie, and we make sure to have that cookie on our table at all events. They also tell us their favorite charity. The sales from their favorite cookie goes right to their charity of choice. In our first month, we sold sugar cookies to raise money for The Rachel Way Gluten-free Food Pantry. In July, we are raising money for BeyondCeliac.org. It is very important for me that Sweet Ladybug is able to support the gluten-free community beyond just providing amazing gluten-free treats. "

Images via Elizabeth Miles