Profile: Melodye Anderson of Mother Barista Vegan Treats

Melodye Anderson never thought she would dream of owning her own bakery. Lately, though, the founder of Mother Barista Vegan Treats says she has gotten the itch.

Anderson, who said baking has long been her love language, started playing around with vegan baked goods for her husband's sisters in 2019. "I enjoyed experimenting," she said, and she soon began trying more cruelty-free recipes.

The former Augie's Coffee barista brought her treats to the company's Friendsgiving celebrations as well as her own family functions. There, she said, she would ask people what she should try next and enjoyed the different challenges.

Her ultimate goal at that point was to sell at Redlands Market Night, and she was able to do so once before the pandemic shut it down. 

When Augie's terminated its employees, Anderson was part of the group that formed Augie's Union and later, Slow Bloom Coffee Cooperative.

Her plan now is to sell at Slow Bloom Coffee on weekends. If her own shop isn't feasible she hopes to work out of a cooperative kitchen and sell at Slow Bloom full-time. 

Though Anderson began predominantly with cookies and cupcakes, she now sells croissants, cinammon rolls, and several other delicacies. "It's wild how far I've come...pushing myself with pastry dough," she said.

Anderson's favorite of her treats to eat is tiramisu, though she said it's also the worst to make because she makes the ladyfingers from scratch and uses aquafaba, the liquid left over from cooked chickpeas, instead of eggs.

Her favorite thing to make is croissants, as she loves the layering process. "Pulling them out of the oven and seeing the flaky layers is so satisfying," she said. 

For updates and information about how to buy Mother Barista Vegan Treats, follow @motherbaristavegantreats on Instagram.