back door bakeshop

What back door bakeshop does

Back Door Bakeshop is a sole-proprietorship artisan bakery founded in 2009 by Gail Lehman in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, that produces handmade baked goods for distribution through farmers markets, community festivals, an exclusive retail partner, and limited wholesale accounts. The product line spans signature cookies (Sugar Cookies in rotating flavors, the Mother Earth Cookie made with organic spelt flour, and the savory Roasted Garlic Butter Cookie), cakes (Dutch Apple, Banana, Lemon Bundt, Carrot, Cheesecake), seasonal mini pies, chicken pot pies, muffins, scones, quiche, sandwiches, granola, brownies, and dog biscuits. The underlying operation is a single commercial baking kitchen—fit-out completed in August 2022 in a historic downtown Bethlehem building—producing small batches using traditional artisan methods with no disclosed proprietary technology beyond recipe differentiation.

The business model is direct-to-consumer via two weekly farmers markets (Bethlehem Rose Garden on Saturdays, Hellertown Library on Sundays), event-driven festival sales (Easton Garlic Fest, Musikfest Cookieplatz, Christmas City Village, VegFest), and an exclusive market outlet at Scholl Orchards (3057 Center St., Bethlehem) where a select line is available daily. Wholesale revenue is minor and concentrated at Terra Cafe (Bethlehem and Easton locations) and historically Aardvark Sports Shop (granola bars). Private/custom orders are taken via email. Pricing is unit-based at the point of sale, with no public price list; historical 2010 gift-basket pricing ranged from $22 (petite) to $55 (colossal). The customer base is fragmented across local Lehigh Valley consumers, with primary segments being community shoppers seeking handmade goods and event/celebration planners placing custom orders.

In April 2022, the company exited its prior walk-up window retail café at 92 E. Broad St. and restructured to a wholesale/market vendor model, which remains the current operating posture in 2025. The business has remained independently owned throughout its history with no external funding, acquisitions, or parent company; distribution is intentionally regional rather than scaling, with growth evidenced by new product launches (Roasted Garlic Butter Cookies in 2022; Apple Cider Donut Holes Bread Pudding recipe in January 2026) and continued farmers market participation rather than headcount or geographic expansion.

Name

back door bakeshop

Legal name

Back Door Bakeshop

Website

https://backdoorbakeshop.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Back Door Bakeshop is a sole-proprietor artisan bakery in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, founded in 2009 by Gail Lehman, producing handmade cookies, cakes, pies, and savory baked goods for sale at Lehigh Valley farmers markets, community festivals, an exclusive outlet at Scholl Orchards, and select wholesale accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Artisan Bakery

NAICS

Retail Bakeries (311811), Baked Goods Retailers (445291)

SIC

Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Bakeries (Bread & Daily Bakery) (THAFAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cake Shops & Custom Celebration Cakes (THAFAFAC), Bread & Pastry Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAC), Specialty Dietary Bakeries (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Allergen-Friendly) (THAFAFAI)

Keywords

• Artisan baked goods
• Farmers market bakery
• Handmade cookies
• Custom bakery orders
• Wholesale bakery

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethlehem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Farmers Market Retail Sales: Direct retail sales of handmade baked goods at community-run farmers markets (Bethlehem Rose Garden, Hellertown Library) and festivals across the greater Lehigh Valley. Sales are cash/check/card on-site.
2. Wholesale to Retail Partners: Exclusive market outlet at Scholl Orchards where select line of cookies, cakes and seasonal products are sold daily. Also historically sold granola bars through Aardvark Sports Shop and supplied Terra Cafe with baked goods.
3. Custom Orders: Private custom orders for events and special occasions available by contacting [email protected]. Products include cookie trays, custom cakes, and seasonal items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Back Door Bakeshop produces and sells handmade artisan baked goods including cookies, cakes, seasonal pies, muffins, granola, brownies, quiche, scones, sandwiches, chicken pot pies, and dog biscuits. Products are sold directly to consumers at the Bethlehem Rose Garden Farmers Market (Saturdays), the Hellertown Library market (Sundays), regional festivals and community events, and through an exclusive retail partnership with Scholl Orchards. The bakery also accepts private custom orders for events and special occasions via email.

Product overview

Back Door Bakeshop is a small-batch artisan bakery that operates primarily through community-run farmers markets, festivals, and Scholl Orchards in the greater Lehigh Valley. The company offers handmade baked goods including signature cookies (Sugar Cookies, Mother Earth Cookie, Roasted Garlic Butter Cookies), cakes (Bundt varieties, Carrot Cake, Cheesecake), seasonal pies, chicken pot pie, sandwiches, muffins, granola, and dog biscuits. Founded in 2009 by Gail Lehman, the business transitioned from a walk-up window retail café at 92 E. Broad St. to a wholesale/market model following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sugar Cookies
• Mother Earth Cookie
• Roasted Garlic Butter Cookies
• Cakes
• Seasonal Mini Pies
• Apple Cider Donut Holes
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Granola
• Muffins
• Brownies
• Scones
• Quiche
• Dog Biscuits
• Sustainable Business Gift Baskets
• Private Custom Orders

Quantifiable outcome

• 5000 Roasted Garlic Butter Cookies sold at Easton Garlic Fest
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Scholl OrchardscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive market outlet partnership where Back Door Bakeshop products are sold daily at Scholl Orchards location at 3057 Center St., Bethlehem, PA. This is the primary retail channel for their baked goods.
• Aardvark Sports ShopminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPackaged granola bars sold at both Downtown Bethlehem and Stroudsburg Aardvark Sports Shop locations.
• Terra CafeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale supplier of baked goods including carrot cake, cookies, banana bread, and lemon squares to Terra Cafe locations in Bethlehem and Easton.
• Tallarico's ChocolatesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal chocolate supplier featured in Back Door Bakeshop Sustainable Business Gift Baskets.
• Christina's Secret GardenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTea supplier featured in Back Door Bakeshop Sustainable Business Gift Baskets.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Le Bus Bakery: Artisan Philadelphia-area bakery producing handmade breads, pastries, and cookies for wholesale and retail customers. Comparable to Back Door Bakeshop in its small-batch artisan production model and regional wholesale/retail GTM.
• Metropolitan Bakery: Philadelphia-based artisan bakery operating retail cafes and a wholesale program to restaurants and grocers. Similar to Back Door Bakeshop in combining handmade baking with a mix of direct retail and B2B wholesale distribution.
• Night Kitchen Bakery: Wholesale artisan bakery in Philadelphia serving cafes, restaurants, and grocers with handmade breads and pastries. Direct peer given its small-scale wholesale artisan model and shared regional footprint with Back Door Bakeshop.
• Termini Brothers Bakery: Long-established Philadelphia bakery producing Italian pastries, cakes, and cookies via retail storefronts and wholesale. Comparable to Back Door Bakeshop in baked-goods category and regional Pennsylvania presence, though at larger scale.
• Beiler's Bakery: Lancaster County, PA-based donut and bakery operator with multiple retail locations and farmers-market style presence. Comparable to Back Door Bakeshop as a Pennsylvania-rooted small-batch bakery brand.
• Sweet Freedom Bakery: Bethlehem, PA-area allergen-friendly bakery operating a retail storefront and event-driven sales. Comparable to Back Door Bakeshop as a small Lehigh Valley artisan bakery with similar community/retail focus.
• Bird & Beagle Bakehouse: Small artisan bakery operating in the Lehigh Valley area producing handmade baked goods for retail and special orders. Comparable to Back Door Bakeshop in geographic market and small-batch production approach.

Broad incumbents

• Panera Bread: National bakery-cafe chain producing and retailing baked goods at scale across the U.S. Represents the broad incumbent against which small artisan bakeries like Back Door Bakeshop compete for share of stomach and occasion.
• Wawa: Pennsylvania-headquartered convenience retailer with a large in-house bakery program. Functions as a broad incumbent in the regional baked-goods market that Back Door Bakeshop operates in.
• King Arthur Baking Company: National baking brand selling baking ingredients, mixes, and finished baked goods through retail and online. Adjacent incumbent relevant to Back Door Bakeshop given shared baking category and consumer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/backdoorbakes
• Facebookfacebook.com/BackDoorBakeshop

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 back door bakeshop