A journey fueled by a drive for optimum health led San Antonio couple Cara and Marcus Pitts to a plant-based lifestyle. Owing to Cara’s bond with her then 98-year-old grandmother, Mary Lee—whom she was caring for—Cara wanted to ensure that she prepared delicious, nourishing foods reminiscent of her Southern roots without compromising on taste and flavor. Their home kitchen morphed into an R&D operation where Cara trialed several recipes with her avid taste testers—family, friends, and most importantly, Mary Lee. Following a decadent donut that sealed the deal, Cara and Marcus were inspired not only to nourish their families with the magic of plants but also their community! Soon after, what began as a small-scale business at their local church, evolved into a thriving online bakery with happy customers across the nation. Southern Roots Vegan Bakery is on a noble mission to feed souls with sweet, comforting Southern classics with a plant-powered twist!
VW: Tell us about your journey going plant-based!
CP: Marcus and I met in 2013, working together in the healthcare field at an insurance company. Shortly after we got married in 2018, I wanted to watch a documentary I heard about on Netflix called “What The Health”. Halfway through the documentary, Marcus decided to go plant-based. We immediately threw out all the meat that we had just purchased from the grocery store and started reading about living a plant-based lifestyle and things we would like to eat. This was before plant-based meat alternatives were in fast-food chains, so there was a lot of trial and error and finding things out on our own. We had no vegan friends in the beginning, so we were in unknown territory. Marcus enjoyed cooking, and I have been a baker since childhood.
VW: What inspired you to start a vegan bakery?
CP: Once Marcus decided he wanted to start a plant-based lifestyle, that was my queue to figure out how to veganize our favorite foods. My family has always loved desserts. I would be the go-to baker for all of our family reunions, birthdays, and celebrations, so it was a no-brainer for me. I was going to need to figure out vegan alternatives for things like eggs and milk, so it took me a while to figure out what replacements I liked best. I never even thought to look for any vegan bakeries around us since I was so used to baking my own desserts. Once I created a Mary Lee-approved recipe, I would then share it with friends at our church, and they couldn’t believe the desserts were vegan. Being members of our church business ministry, they pushed us to start a business but suggested we go to our small business center, ‘Launch SA’, to get on the right path. Luckily there was a 10-week culinary accelerator that was starting in a few months, so we quickly applied, but we didn’t know how we were going to do the class if we got accepted because it was three times a week during work hours. Complicating things further, two weeks before the classes were to start, Marcus got the call that the insurance company he worked for was laying off the entire department. The timing on our journey has truly been a blessed road because if I hadn’t already left to care for my grandmother, we both would have been suddenly laid off. We were quickly all-in on Southern Roots, and we knew there was no way we were going to fail. We used Marcus’ severance package towards getting our food handlers license and business equipment and materials. We never would’ve seen our very own vegan bakery come to fruition, but we thank God daily that we do.
VW: Did you face any hurdles attracting customers as a vegan bakery?
CP: We were very blessed that we grew a customer base immediately. In one of our classes in the business accelerator, one of the mentors asked us a straightforward question, “Have you ever sold to someone you didn’t know?” The answer was no, and that weekend we signed up for our first farmers market! I was SO nervous because I’m naturally introverted, so this forced me out of my comfort zone completely. By our 2nd and 3rd market, we had customers showing up specifically for our products, and we were the only vegan option at the market! We did that market every weekend for the next few months and built up a customer base. Those returning customers encouraged us along the way and even helped us out; one even bought us our first real sign and brought it to the market!
VW: According to you, how do you set yourselves apart from other vegan bakeries and businesses?
CP: I think our story is authentic, and people all over can relate to it. We don’t compare ourselves to any other companies, and we stay focused on listening to our customers and expanding our product lines when it feels right. We never make something just to do it because other businesses are. We have turned down custom orders because we knew that wasn’t something we were ready for at the time and shared other local vendors that could help them out. We know we have a great product and choose to take our time expanding! We spotlight and uplift other vegan businesses in our blog and newsletters. Last year we ran a black-owned vegan market during the last half of the year to use our platform and customer base to promote other vendors. Giving back is incredibly important to us.
VW: We love when businesses support and uplift one another! From your experience, what was the most challenging part of starting Southern Roots? Is there something you would do differently in hindsight?
CP: I believe everything happens for a reason. When our company went viral during the ‘Buy Black’ movement, there were a few hiccups in our production process, simply because it was during the pandemic and we didn’t have enough hands to get all of our orders out promptly. We were very cautious about hiring people that we didn’t know at the time because we have immediate family members that were high risk, but we were always transparent to customers about the issues we faced. A majority of our customers were very understanding; the world was on edge so just knowing they were going to get some sweet treats was worth the wait for them, and we are thankful for that. We wouldn’t change anything we did because we know you can’t satisfy everyone, but we knew keeping our family safe was a priority, and we don’t regret that decision. It was all worth it in the end. We learned a lot very quickly about scaling our company, and we are now in a space where we can mass produce with a small team and take our time adding to our team. The trials we have faced made us better business owners, and we share the knowledge we learned now as mentors in that business accelerator we took. Everything comes full circle!
VW: Did you get any pushback from friends, family, and the community while establishing Southern Roots Vegan Bakery?
CP: Of course, when you do something that is against the “norm,” you are going to get criticism from friends and family who don’t believe in what you’re doing and will tell you why you should or shouldn’t be doing something. When you take a different path, people will come out of nowhere to give their unsolicited opinions. My husband always says, “we don’t take advice from someone that hasn’t been where we want to go,” which I think is great advice. You want to be sure the people you are listening to know what they are talking about. We are sponges for knowledge and information, so if I’m stuck on something business-wise, I’m very quick to reach back out to our small business hub in our city” Launch S” and ask the network of mentors we have established relationships with, and they will steer me in the right direction.
VW: How do you respond to the criticism that being vegan/ plant-based does a disservice to Black culinary culture?
CP: I like to emphasize that this lifestyle can fuel longevity in our culture because plant-based Soul Food is much better for our health. In fact, we think it builds a better, stronger culture because it’s good for us. That’s why Southern Roots was born! Food is a huge part of our culture in gatherings with friends and family. We wanted to prove that we didn’t have to give up the types of meals we loved; it was just about changing how it was made. Starting with southern desserts was what we wanted to start with because it was part of our life.
VW: What proportion of your customers are plant-based, and what has their reception been?
CP: Our customer base is about 60% plant-based and 40% non-vegans, but they are looking at branching into the plant-based world. Tabitha Brown’s fanbase has been a huge customer base of ours after she highlighted our company. Our tagline is “so good you won’t believe it’s vegan.” For the first year and a half of our business, we focused on farmers’ markets and events. Usually, we were the only vegan options at these non-vegan events. We’ve done markets where they would put us next to BBQ vendors, and we would have people leave those lines to buy our products. It was heartwarming to see customer reactions to their sample bite—the moment when their minds were blown and stereotypes of what vegan food is were broken!
VW: As you have evolved on your personal plant-based journeys, what has veganism come to mean to you?
MP: For me, veganism is a different way of looking at life. One of the things that changed my life for the better was the tremendous health benefits I got simply from eating stuff that was better for me. This had a positive impact on my worldview. Now that I think differently, I act and feel different. I treat people differently. Nothing changes if nothing changes. So veganism can simply be different and sometimes better.
VW: How do you come up with flavor ideas?
CP: Our community is woven into everything we do at Southern Roots. From the flavors to giving back and event planning. Our first donut was our now famous red velvet cake donuts, and then we launched our lemon bundt cake named after my grandmother Mary Lee. We are very intentional about the flavors and pastries we launch. They pay homage to our roots and childhoods. We send surveys, ask in forums, reach out to friends and family for suggestions. In business, if you only make what you want, then you won’t be in business for very long. We do our best to give our fans what they want, and we are excited about the ongoing challenge.
VW: Is there a personal, staff, or customer favorite you’d recommend to skeptics of plant-based treats?
CP: Mary Lee’s Lemon Cake is a fan favorite. My favorite is our Funfetti volcano cake because it has our buttercream frosting in the middle, which is mouth-wateringly delicious! Marcus’ favorite is our Chocolate Luxury Volcano Cake.
VW: All that sounds fabulous! With these marvelous creations, how do you envision your role in food activism as being a part of creating change for a better, kinder world?
CP: We’ve always had a vision that Southern Roots isn’t just a vegan bakery. We are going to be the leaders in health and wellness in the food industry, creating innovative ways for people to enjoy food while increasing their longevity and vitality. Hippocrates said, “Let thy food be your medicine, and thy medicine is thy food” We want to partner with brands that make sweets that make your brain think it’s loaded with sugar when it contains less than a gram of sugar. We believe that the more time you spend living a full life free from preventable diseases, the more positive impact each of us can have on the planet and the people on it. So we want to help everyone help themselves. In that way, everyone can help someone.
VW: This conversation would be incomplete without chatting about the marvelous Mary Lee. How did she motivate your mission and vision for Southern Roots?
CP: My grandmother, Mary Lee, is so pivotal to our journey because had I not decided to leave my job in 2017 to become her caregiver, there would be no Southern Roots Vegan Bakery. After watching “What the Health,” it started our plant-based journey, and she was along for the ride. We wouldn’t be here today because we wouldn’t have had the time to start a business and do recipe testing. Since I was already responsible for making all of her meals and taking her to doctor’s appointments, we were seeing the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle in real-time. My grandmother was able to be taken off her diabetic medication and her labs improved within a few months from introducing plant-based foods in her diet. It was even shocking to her doctors. I remember we left her cardiologist appointment, and he said he didn’t need to see her for a year. Her labs were that good, which is very rare to say to a 96-year-old at the time. That was confirmation for us that this was something special and would inspire generations to come in our family. She’s our ultimate testimonial. We just celebrated her 99th birthday, and she stays up until midnight watching Family Feud. She’s our original taste tester and will forever be a part of our vision. She says we have made her famous, and it brings tears to her eyes when we tell her all the different states that have ordered our Mary Lee’s Lemon cake that was named after her. Now, if we can get Steve Harvey to try out her cake, she would be on top of the world!
VW: While we work on getting these treats to Steve Harvey, do you have any exciting plans for the future that you can share with us?
CP: So many exciting things to come! There’s no doubt in our minds that Southern Roots will be a global brand. We will be launching a podcast very soon that will be an extension of our blog that will cover our journey with veganism, tips, and tricks we learned along the way, and share other people’s stories about how they got into veganism. We will be expanding our retail footprint, and we want to have a lot of corporate clients that we can be the go-to for employee luncheons and gifts for their employees. Our goal is to be a household name. We would love to have a book come out within the next three years and be featured on national television. As you know, my grandmother is a big inspiration for us, so it’s been on our vision board to partner with a senior meal planning program to have Southern Roots Vegan meals on their meal plans. It is very hard to find affordable plant-based options for seniors on a fixed income. We look forward to being true game changers in this field and cannot wait for the future.
Southern Roots Vegan Bakery ships its homemade, award-winning treats nationwide. Lucky residents at San Antonio may also enjoy your favorite donuts, cupcakes, cookies, and more delivered straight to your doorsteps. Patrons wanting to support this burgeoning business can contribute to their Crowdfunding effort on their website. A successful feat will enable expanded production, sustained employment, and perhaps a brand new storefront!
About the Author
Shriya Swaminathan is an animal rights warrior in training at PETA’s International Science Consortium. She is also a certified Vegan Hospitality Consultant and founder of Nourish by Shriya, her new consulting service that helps restaurants attract vegan clients. A proud travel foodie, she enjoys exploring local vegan cuisines! In her free time, you can find her hanging out with the residents at the Gentle Barn Sanctuary, while educating folks about the abundance of a vegan lifestyle. Her precious companion pooch Halley joins her activism on the #adoptdontshop message!
