Cake Life Bake Shop

What Cake Life Bake Shop does

Cake Life Bake Shop is a sustainable retail café and small-batch artisanal bakery operating from a single location at 1306 Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood. Founded in 2016 by Nima Etemadi (CEO) and Lily Fischer, the bakery produces handcrafted layer cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes, croissants, cookies, bars, and beverages using locally and mindfully sourced ingredients. Signature offerings include rock candy geode cakes, a rotating seasonal menu (e.g., Summer Lemon-Berry, Campfire Cocoa, Pink Palmer), and a full vegan and gluten-free line built around partners like Bandit vegan cheese. The bakery's core technology is craft-based — hand-finished artisanal production — augmented by standard e-commerce tooling (Squarespace website, Square Site for nationwide shipping, Exploretock for pre-orders, UberEats for delivery).

The business operates a multi-channel go-to-market model: walk-in retail at the café (Wednesday-Sunday), online pre-orders requiring 4-day to 2-week lead times, UberEats same-day delivery, in-house delivery for large/delicate orders ($20-30 local or $5/mile further), and nationwide shipping for select items. Beyond the individual consumer segment, Cake Life runs a corporate services line covering catering, client gifting, and 90-minute team-building cake decorating experiences (minimum 4 participants). Pricing is not publicly tiered; local delivery quotes are provided on a per-order basis for orders over $200 and/or 30 pounds.

Revenue mechanics rely on per-transaction cake and pastry sales supplemented by corporate catering fees and nationwide shipping. The company has not raised institutional capital — the only disclosed external funding is a $5,000 Comcast RISE grant in August 2023. Cake Life's ownership and brand identity are anchored in its women-, immigrant-, and trans-owned status, living-wage employment ($15/hour minimum plus tips), and a curated supplier ecosystem of 15+ local BIPOC-, LGBTQ-, and women-owned partners including Rival Bros. Coffee, Bandit Cheese, and FarmArt. National recognition derives from press features in People, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Oprah, and Forbes, and from baking custom birthday cakes for Beyoncé three times (2017, 2019, 2024).

Name

Cake Life Bake Shop

Legal name

Cake Life Bake Shop LLC

Website

https://cakelifebakeshop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cake Life Bake Shop is a sustainable single-location retail café and artisanal bakery in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, serving handcrafted cakes, pastries, croissants, and beverages to walk-in consumers, pre-order customers, corporate clients, and nationwide shipping buyers under a women-, immigrant-, and trans-owned brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisanal Bakery and Café

NAICS

Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Retail Bakeries (311811), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Cookies & Crackers (2052)

akta.pro primary industry

Cake Shops & Custom Celebration Cakes (THAFAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dessert Cafes (Coffee + Desserts) (THAFADAH), Cafe-Bakeries (Bakery + Coffee/Foodservice) (THAFAFAG), Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA), Dessert & Bakery Catering (Cakes, Pastries, Candy) (HSACAGAI), Online Bakery & Desserts Delivery (CRAHAIAK)

Keywords

• Artisan bakery
• Custom cakes
• Specialty pastries
• Corporate catering
• Café beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Café Sales: In-person sales of cakes, cupcakes, pastries, croissants, cookies, bars, quiche, and beverages at the Fishtown café. Walk-in customers purchase from the daily case.
2. Pre-Order Cakes and Custom Orders: Online pre-orders through Exploretock for pickup or delivery. Monthly menu items require 4+ days notice; custom cake menu requires two weeks notice. Available for pickup at shop or local delivery.
3. Corporate Catering and Events: Catering services for meetings and events including breakfast, lunch, snacks, and desserts. Also offers team-building cake decorating experiences with minimum 4 participants.
4. Corporate Gifting: Client appreciation gifts and team morale boosts through curated treat packages.
5. Third-Party Delivery: UberEats platform for same-day delivery orders within the local area.
6. Nationwide Shipping: Nationwide shipping via Square site for select products delivered across the United States.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cake Life Bake Shop operates a sustainable, small-batch bakery and all-day café in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood, selling handcrafted layer cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes, croissants, cookies, and bar pastries alongside a full coffee and tea beverage program. The business also offers pre-order custom and wedding cakes, corporate catering and gifting, and team-building cake-decorating experiences, with nationwide shipping via Square site and local delivery via UberEats.

Product overview

Cake Life Bake Shop is a sustainable, small-batch bakery and all-day café offering handcrafted cakes, pastries, croissants, cookies, and beverages. The product portfolio centers on rotating seasonal layer cakes and cheesecakes as core offerings, complemented by pre-order exclusive specialty cakes, artisanal cupcakes, breakfast pastries, and a full café beverage menu. The business operates a physical café in Philadelphia's Fishtown neighborhood with integrated e-commerce capabilities through UberEats, ExploreTock, and Square for nationwide shipping. Add-on services include corporate catering, gifting programs, and interactive team-building cake decorating experiences, while custom/wedding cake orders complete the full-service bakery offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Layer Cakes Handcrafted layer cakes in rotating seasonal flavors such as Funfetti, Campfire Cocoa, Red Velvet, Strawberry Shortcake, Summer Lemon-Berry, and Coconut-Passion Fruit, with vegan pre-order-exclusive variants such as Classic Yellow and Chocolate-Peanut Butter. Made with whole, locally sourced quality ingredients and available for pre-order or same-day purchase.
• Cheesecakes New York-style cheesecakes in rotating flavors such as Dulce de Leche and Mango, topped with specialty glazes and gelées.
• Cupcakes Artisanal cupcakes available in classic and seasonal flavors with custom buttercream decorations.
• Croissants Handmade butter croissants and specialty variants including Chocolate (Pain Au Chocolat), Everything Bagel, Garlic-Za'atar (vegan), Berries 'n' Cream, Pesto-Sun Dried Tomato, and Corn-Poblano Pepper.
• Pastries Assorted pastries including Cinnamon Rolls, Honey-Butter Biscuits, Apple Coffee Cake, and Strawberry Poppin' Tarts.
• Bars and Cookies Handcrafted bars including Fresh Fruit Tart, Canadian Butter Tart, Banana-Caramel Cream Mini Pie, and Nanaimo Bar (Best of Philly winner); cookies including Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate Chip, Cowboy Cookie (vegan/gluten-free), Wildberry Oatmeal, Petal-Pistachio, and Sugar Cookie.
• Beverages

Quantifiable outcome

• Paid living wages with $15/hour minimum plus tips for all non-managerial employees
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Rival Bros. CoffeecoreOthersLocal Philly roasters offering custom, house roasted blends and seasonal single-origin beans carefully sourced and specially roasted for the best drinking experience. Supplies all coffee and espresso served at Cake Life.
• Bandit CheesecoreOthersEthically and locally crafted vegan cheese in South Philly using centuries-old techniques. Used to craft vegan croissants and other vegan delights at Cake Life.
• FarmArtcoreOthersLocal, family-owned produce distributor and one of Philadelphia region's top distributors. Prioritizes local sourcing: 'If it's growing around here, we source it!'
• Meri MeriminorOthersSustainable, woman-owned partyware designer. Provides much of Cake Life's partyware and seasonal decorations. Products inspired by childhood imagination with sophisticated design.
• Modern Printed MatterminorOthersWomen-owned and sustainable printer. All cards and calendars printed on 100% PCW recycled paper with 100% recycled Kraft envelopes.
• Ash + ChessminorOthersStationery and gift company run by queer and trans couple Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham, based in Kingston, NY. Provides stationery products.
• Parcel IslandminorOthersLocal, BIPOC- and woman-owned business specializing in vibrant, funny, and pun-filled creations. Products featured in Cake Life's sticker carousel.
• Kimmy Makes ThingsminorOthersLocal, woman-owned creator of ceramics and cards with 'gritty-centric' designs. Cards carried at Cake Life.
• Queer Candle Co.minorOthersLocal, queer-owned, sustainable candle maker. Collaborating with Cake Life on a signature candle for retail sections.
• Sarah Draws ThingsminorOthersLocal artist creating stickers and cards inspired by Philadelphia and the Northeast U.S. Staff favorite at Cake Life.
• Swiacki MeatsminorOthersFamily-run Port Richmond staple with over 60 years of experience. Supplies sausages for Cake Life's Kielbasa Croissant Dogs.
• TweeminorOthersLGBTQIA+, woman-owned brand specializing in premium, handmade, eco-friendly art tools for kids.
• Candy WarehouseminorOthersBIPOC-, woman-owned company supplying candy products for Cake Life.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small BusinessesminorOthersSupport program for small businesses. Listed in Cake Life's association/partner section on homepage.
• High Road RestaurantsminorOthersRestaurant industry organization. Listed in Cake Life's association/partner section.
• One Fair WageminorOthersNon-profit advocating for fair wages in the service industry. Listed in Cake Life's association/partner section.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Milk Bar: Multi-location NYC bakery known for signature layer cakes (birthday cake, compost cookies) and DTC nationwide shipping. Closely comparable product mix, custom cake heritage, and celebrity-driven brand building.
• Dominique Ansel Bakery: Chef-driven NYC bakery known for signature pastry IP (Cronut) and custom cakes. Comparable artisanal, signature-IP, premium-celebration positioning.
• Levain Bakery: NYC-based bakery specializing in cookies and pastries with multi-location retail and nationwide shipping. Comparable artisanal product mix, DTC shipping, and premium positioning.
• Carlo's Bake Shop: Custom celebration cake shop built around celebrity TV exposure (Cake Boss) with retail and shipping. Comparable custom cake IP, celebrity-driven brand, and shipping channel.
• Magnolia Bakery: Iconic NYC bakery famous for custom cakes and cupcakes, with retail and DTC shipping. Comparable premium celebration cake positioning and tier-1 press coverage pattern.
• Baked by Melissa: Bite-size cupcake and treat brand with strong DTC, gifting, and nationwide shipping. Comparable celebration/dessert positioning with emphasis on corporate gifting and direct-to-consumer.
• Sprinkles Cupcakes: Cupcake and custom cake specialist with retail locations and a well-known celebrity following. Comparable custom cake business, premium positioning, and DTC gifting angle.
• Georgetown Cupcake: Multi-location cupcake and custom cake brand with DC origins, retail, and nationwide shipping via Goldbelly. Comparable premium cupcake/custom cake positioning with DTC shipping.

Emerging players

• Sweet Laurel Bakery: Values-driven, health-focused bakery with custom cakes and nationwide shipping. Closely comparable ethos (sustainable, inclusive) and product mix for the health/values-aligned consumer.
• Crumb Bakeshop: Cupcake and custom dessert shop with retail presence and DTC shipping. Comparable small-format bakery with celebration cake focus, though smaller scale and brand profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cakelifebakeshop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cake Life Bake Shop