Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell chats with Sandi Macklom, the Founder and Owner of Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery. This shop caters to the Northwest Arkansas community with gluten-free breads, pies, cakes and custom orders. After adopting a gluten-free lifestyle, Sandi found it challenging to discover tasty gluten-free alternatives. Being an avid baker, she decided to rectify this gap by opening Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery. Throughout the episode, James and Sandi delve into the bakery’s mission, Sandi’s experiences at Brightwater (Center for the Study of Food) and the advantages of founding her bakery in Bentonville.

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‍Show Notes
Timestamps in this blog are for the audio-only version of the podcast; video timing differs.
(0:59) Introduction to Sandi Macklom
(3:23) Founding Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery
(6:47) About Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food
(8:43) Why Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery Started at the 8th Street Market
(10:45) Sandi Sue’s New 14th Street Location
(12:11) How Bentonville’s Culture Has Helped Sandi Sue’s
(15:30) Bentonville’s Exciting Future
(18:09) #BecauseBentonville Story
(22:51) Advice for People Thinking About Starting a Business
(32:01) Closing Question
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‍Links‍‍‍‍‍‍
JAMES BELL
BENTONVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT‍‍‍
SANDI MACKLOM
SANDI SUE’S GLUTEN FREE BAKERY
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Quotes
“8th Street provided us a great opportunity for proof of concept. It essentially limited financial risk on our part because we self funded…albeit it was only a hundred feet, we could get our product to a newer and larger segment of the community and make sure that what we thought was good is what everybody else thought was good.” – Sandi Macklom, (8:43)

“The thing that Northwest Arkansas, Bentonville and Rogers specifically, have is the breadth of things to do. It feels like a larger town with everything going on and all the social events, but you still have the regulars. I still recognize my people when they come in…you don’t really get that in larger cities, and that’s what brought me back [to Bentonville].” – Sandi Maklom, (12:32)
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“There were two things I was cognizant of when I was starting my business: One, the financial side because you can’t build a sustainable business if your finances aren’t in order…and the other harder thing, finding a marketing team that you trust…because you can have the best thing in the world, but if people don’t know you’re out there and how to find you, it doesn’t matter.” – Sandi Macklom, (23:31)

“Right now, a gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease. That’s why it’s such a passion of mine that people can come to my bakery and eat everything on the menu…being able to provide good food for people who unfortunately don’t usually get it, we’re very privileged and humbled and lucky to be able to do that for our community.” – Sandi Macklom, (32:15)‍

Making the Gluten-Free Life Sweet with Sandi Macklom and Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell chats with Sandi Macklom, the Founder and Owner of Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery. This shop caters to the Northwest Arkansas community with gluten-free breads, pies, cakes and custom orders. After adopting a gluten-free lifestyle, Sandi found it challenging to discover tasty gluten-free alternatives. Being an avid baker, she decided to rectify this gap by opening Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery. Throughout the episode, James and Sandi delve into the bakery’s mission, Sandi’s experiences at Brightwater (Center for the Study of Food) and the advantages of founding her bakery in Bentonville.

Sandi Sue’s Proof of Concept
After being diagnosed with celiac disease, Sandi implemented a gluten-free diet and experienced so many health improvements that she never looked back. Unfortunately, once Sandi went gluten-free, she had a hard time finding baked treats that tasted good. As a result, Sandi leaned on her love of baking and opened Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery to break the stigma that gluten-free food items can’t be appetizing.
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In August 2020, Sandi left her corporate job to start Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery out of her house and enrolled in Brightwater culinary school soon after. And although Sandi founded the bakery in the middle of COVID, the bakery thrived through the pandemic, as it was a home business and made deliveries to customers’ houses. Subsequently, in September 2021, Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery opened its first brick-and-mortar location at the 8th Street Market in Bentonville.

“8th Street provided us a great opportunity for proof of concept. It essentially limited financial risk on our part because we self funded…albeit it was only a hundred feet, we could get our product to a newer and larger segment of the community and make sure that what we thought was good is what everybody else thought was good.” – Sandi Macklom, (8:43)

Turning a Hobby into a Business
Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery garnered a large following at its 8th Street Market location, which was the perfect place to incubate and test her concept. With high growth and a sustainable business model, she was ready for a bigger, more permanent location. Now, almost two years later, Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery has moved to 14th Street in Bentonville, a space seventeen times larger than its original location.

This additional space equips Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery with more room for additional team members and allows it to increase production for its wholesale business that provides items for local clients, including Sweet Freedom Cheese, Meld Kitchen and Children’s Hospital Northwest Arkansas. Further, the larger location provides Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery the opportunity to offer more menu items, such as sandwiches, soups, salads and breakfast foods.

“Right now, a gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease. That’s why it’s such a passion of mine that people can come to my bakery and eat everything on the menu…being able to provide good food for people who unfortunately don’t usually get it, we’re very privileged and humbled and lucky to be able to do that for our community.” – Sandi Macklom, (32:15)
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Get Connected!
‍Thank you for tuning into this episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories and advice from the entrepreneurs, business executives and community leaders who are sparking the rise of Bentonville. If you are interested in discussing whether your business should have a presence in Bentonville or would like to discuss this podcast, please contact James Bell. You may reach James at jbell@greaterbentonville.com or (479) 273-2841.