Our Sons Bakery - Sharing deliciousness and Empowerment

By Christina Lalor
If you are from the Indianapolis area, you may have already heard of this inspiring family-operated business, Our Sons Bakery! If you have not yet, we highly recommend you check them out ASAP.   Not only do they offer a diverse array of flavorful treats, but they are doing it while making a huge impact on the community. 
 
We got in touch with the owner, Sabrena “Bre” Suggs a few months back to learn more about their operation and find ways we can collaborate and elevate one another’s mission and boy, we were not disappointed. Bre is such an energetic, passionate business owner and it was so amazing hearing her speak about the committed work they are doing. More than just creating delicious dessert popcorn and confections (known as Ummmy bars), OSB provides the opportunity to build brighter futures for not only her own sons, but Black youth across the city. Suggs has worked firsthand in social services and mental health and seen the consequences that a lack of support in a community can create. Her commitment and passion to the cause is what makes the operation so effective. Suggs is creating a bright light of hope and opportunity for the future of her community and beyond. 
 
The benefits and impact Our Sons Bakery has had is incredible. They do fundraising bake sales, sponsor extracurricular activities and trips and provide tutoring to those who need some additional resources. Suggs hopes to teach baking and entrepreneurship skills to those in the community and hopefully more within the Indianapolis Public School system. 
 
By far, the most popular item from Our Sons Bakery is their famed Ummmy bars. They are described as a treat somewhere between a cookie and a cake, I’ll have 10 please! The most fun aspect of this is that each of the treats is named after one of the bakers or a prominent black figure in history. This allows the boys to get a chance to create something that is their own- their favorite flavors, mixes and matches and put their name to it! For example, “the Jordan bar, is browned butter with triple chocolate chips, and the Xyren bar is fudge mint with Andes-and Oreo crumble.” They have over 50+ flavors and I don’t think they are slowing down anytime soon. In fact, they are continuing to expand and offer shipping nationwide, so make sure you order some Ummmy bars for your family and friends! Everyone deserves a bit of deliciousness. 

When asked about OSB, Suggs wrote back: 
 
“Our sons Bakery (OSB) is a family-owned social enterprise focused on giving youth opportunities to express creativity through food as they discover the strengths and gifts that will mold them into successful future business owners. Delighting customers with deliciousness and empowering youth with skills for lifelong success is at the heart of Our Sons Bakery. 
OSB uses food to connect with male youth from socioeconomically challenged communities as a means to cultivate a foundation of excellence in the areas of education, income, and health.  As youth are gaining invaluable knowledge and skills beneficial for lifelong success, customers are able to delight in high-quality, delicious confections that enhance the social landscape of youth. 
 
Our Sons Bakery is known for its variety of  50+ flavorful gourmet baked confections known as Ummmy Bars. Ummmy bars are a delectable trifecta of a cookie, cake, and brownie combination. Using high-quality ingredients and signature recipes, Ummmy bars are the perfect combination of soft, chewy, and decadent deliciousness.  
 
The business was started by [Suggs, a mom] with her young three sons in the spring of 2020 who decided to take a leap of faith to start a home-based bakery driven simply by their love for food, passion for community, and curiosity for flavor creativity. The idea to start baking came in 2019 from a family pastime of binge-watching cooking/ baking shows and inspired to create cool flavorful confections of their own. The ultimate goal was to create a baking enterprise reputable enough to host an annual youth baking competition.
 
The Covid-19 pandemic was the spark that lit the flame for the start of the bakery due to Indiana’s stay-home order that forced everyone to remain at home, simultaneously creating extra time for home-based activities. After generous donations of flour from local farmers along with a personal investment into baking equipment for their house, the incentive to go all in vastly outweighed the risk. With no prior professional experience in baking, the family started creating recipes inspired from their favorite baked goods, and a curious idea officially transitioned into a reality.  Once a finalized base recipe for the bars was taste-tested with unanimous approval, they hosted their first public sale at Roadside Stand/ Pop-Up in mid-June 2020. Social media attention helped to give us exposure to secure our first corporate order for the end of July 2020 placed by a local Target. After posting via social media, the attention and requests began to increase creating a higher demand for more bakers and a bigger space. By October, the bakery transitioned into a licensed shared kitchen minutes from their home at Broadway UMC. The bakery has continually grown leaps and bounds through local support along with Ummmy craze even spreading to fans nationally as well.” 
 
What an accomplishment and they are only just getting started! We are so excited to be partnering with OSB for our Valentine’s Day #7daygreenlivingchallenge. Not only did Suggs and her sons participate and complete Elay’s challenge to live more sustainably, but they are also providing our winner with a box of their delicious Ummmy Bars! 
 
Our Sons Bakery shares in our values of safety, sustainability, and responsibility! We are all human here, constantly learning and growing from one another. We hope to continue our partnership and collaboration as we share in our missions to make our world a better place for all. 

To taste an Ummmy bar or flavored popcorn for yourself, place orders with Our Sons on Facebook, Instagram, or over the phone at 317-643-1033, and keep up with their pop-up shops, which will be announced through social media.

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