Archive for the ‘Happenings’ Category

Introducing 3-click online ordering: Schedule your next treat directly from the website!

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

We are happy to announce online ordering from Sweet Pea Bakery! Place your orders for local pick-up or delivery directly from our full cake and dessert menus at www.sweetpeabakery.net in only 3 clicks. It’s true.  Unlike phone ordering this function, powered by Schedulicity, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Order your next Sweet Pea treat from the comfort of your computer; no hassle, no credit card, no voice mail.

Why Schedulicity?

Our website has become the main interface for our customers to access our menus, as well as pictures and information about our products and services. We find that most people who pick up the phone to call us are either looking at the website during our conversation, or have visited recently to aid their ordering.

It seems like a natural extension of that interaction that some of these customers would prefer to save the phone call and order directly from that menu. But, to date we have been unsatisfied with Point of Sale options available to us. It turns out Carrie’s desserts, made to order by request, don’t work that well with Amazon-style order systems, based on depleting a pre-built stock of inventory.

Enter Schedulicity, a Bozeman-based online scheduling service that has gotten national attention by making life easier for service providers (such as stylists and massage therapists) and their clients. Their approach lets us divide up our work day into specific services based on our menu items, and allow customers to schedule our “services” directly from our own online menus. You can automatically add your dessert “reservation” to your calendar, and get e-mail reminders about your pick-up

How does it work?
Great question. Schedulicity makes the process easy as 1, 2, 3. You can literally go from viewing our menus to a booked order in 3 clicks, all without leaving our site.

Step 1: Find your favorite dessert and click Order Now

Step 1: Find your favorite dessert and click "Order Now"

Step 1) Visit the Cake or Dessert pages on sweetpeabakery.net. See an image of any item by hovering your mouse over it’s name. When you find your favorite, choose the right size to serve your crowd and click “Order Now”.

Step 2: Choose a date & time from the calendar

Step 2: Choose a date & time from the calendar

Step 2) A calendar view will load in place of the menu. Click on the date you want to order your dessert, then choose the time from options listed below the calendar. Pick the time that represents the earliest you  might pick-up the order.

Step 3: Confirm your order

Step 3: Confirm your order

Step 3) A confirmation page will load, specifying the dessert you have chosen, and your preferred pick-up time. Make corrections if necessary, or click the green “Book It Now” button to complete your order.

If you are logged into an existing Schedulicity account, that’s all you have to do until it’s time to pick up your dessert! Otherwise you will be prompted to log in, or create a Schedulicity account, which is free, easy, and can also be done without leaving our site. Once you use the service, we think it will become your preferred method for booking all kinds of appointments.

Of course if you have questions, or need to relay more details about your order, we will be available, as always by calling (406) 586-8200. Online ordering is just another way of making our customer service more responsive and flexible, giving you options that fit the way you plan and shop.

We will be adding items and services as we get the hang of things, and we would love your feedback. We’re Sweet Pea Bakery, at your service. Let us know how we can work for you.

Local food: now more than ever. A baker’s view on Monsanto in Montana

Friday, September 25th, 2009

If you follow local news, you’ve heard that Monsanto recently purchased WestBred of Bozeman with the intent of furthering their pursuit of GMO (aka RoundUp Ready) wheat right in our back yard. As bakers who buy, use and consume lots of local flour this is an issue of great interest to us. We can’t think of anything more important within a community than being free to feed ourselves food of our choosing.

Our letter to the editor on the subject was published in the Sunday Chronicle and, since it’s not available online, we are re-posting it here in order to further the conversation in broader circles. Let us know what you think, and also be sure to read the Farmers’ Blog from the Bozeman Food Co-op for a producer’s point of view. It’s important we’re all well informed, and that we keep talking about challenges to a safe food supply.

Here’s the letter:

After reading Monsanto has come to Bozeman to build us better wheat, we wonder what is wrong with the wheat simply grown here. Why, when we have locally-produced GMO-free grains, would we “upgrade” to a strain that requires gene-splicing to tolerate a heavy pesticide bath?
We are not scientists or farmers; we can’t speak to the benefits or pitfalls of GMO wheat. As bakers engaged in the purchase and use of local agricultural products it is clear that big business is hindering the ability of Montanans to feed ourselves.
The struggles of producers to compete against feedlot beef and subsidized corn syrup are well known. A recent article detailed the consolidation of the dairy industry fueling the loss of 126 local producers since 1994. Recently we lost access to local cooking oil after Montola of Culbertson was bankrupted by a corporate parent more interested in profiting from biofuels than in our food security.

In contrast, witness the purchase of the Sacajawea Inn by the owners of Wheat Montana. They have found success with a a business model that doesn’t require any funny stuff: providing quality foods at fair prices. As successful local businesses often do, they have invested in the community that supports them.

The new Sacajawea will return jobs to Three Forks. It gives small businesses an outlet for products and services absent for two years. If we book two events there this season, those sales will cover our flour budget for a year, completing one cycle of a positive feedback loop in the economic health of our community. We are confident in drawing a literal connection between buying local flour and the outcomes described above, because the two endpoints are just 30 miles apart.

So, Monsanto, welcome to town. We hope your intentions are good. But given the choice, we will support local options which have clearly demonstrated they share our interests.

Seth and Carrie Ward, owners
Sweet Pea Bakery

Celebrate Cake Freedom Day, Saturday Sept. 19th

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Is it just us, or does it seem like our society offers us more to worry about every day. . .

Is your block being over-run with liberals/conservatives? Is your car a clunker? Is your computer spying on you? What’s going on with Kanye? Did Monsanto really come to town to “build” us better wheat, and what’s wrong with the wheat we’ve got already?

Sweet Pea Bakery doesn’t have the answers to any of these questions, and frankly we aren’t sure we want to know. But we can offer you a little break from the madness. . .

Celebrate Cake Freedom Day & support the Gallatin Valley Food Bank

Celebrate Cake Freedom Day & support the Gallatin Valley Food Bank

Please join us Saturday, September 19th from Noon to 5pm to celebrate National Cake Freedom day. During this time, all visitors to our Main Street bakery can enjoy a complimentary piece of one of our delicious made-from-scratch cakes and free coffee from our friends at Lil’ Sherpa Java. We encourage you to use the time to enjoy your treat, reflect on the the benefits of a slower way of life, and maybe strike up a conversation with a neighbor no matter how liberal or conservative.

Support Gallatin Valley Food Bank

Support Gallatin Valley Food Bank

But wait, there’s more! As another way of strengthening community ties, this end-of-summer edition of Cake Freedom Day will double as a fund-raiser and food drive for the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. The cake is free to everyone, but if you bring along a non-perishable food item or cash donation for the food bank you will be entered to win fun prizes. We will be drawing for a 9″ cake and giving out door prizes all afternoon. There is always additional need at the Food Bank as the holidays approach, so let’s work together to contribute what we can to our neighbors in need!

That’s it. No sales pitches, no politics, no celebrity gossip or planned obsolescence. Just an opportunity to relax a little and enjoy some really tasty treats with your family and friends. National Cake Freedom Day is an equal opportunity holiday, so all are welcome. Please stop by 2622 West Main Street on Saturday the 19th for your taste of sweet Cake Freedom!