Welcome to our spotlight interview with Mariana Cortez, the visionary founder of Bunnie Cakes in Miami. Born from a mother's necessity and nurtured by her passion for art, Bunnie Cakes is more than a bakery—it's a celebration of creativity and inclusivity. Mariana started her business in 2009 after struggling to find a dairy-free birthday cake for her son. With no professional background in baking or design, she turned her kitchen experiments into a flourishing business, now known for its delightful, allergy-friendly cakes that cater to all. Today, as Bunnie Cakes thrives and expands, Mariana continues to inspire with her dedication to family, community, and the art of baking. Join us as we explore her journey of turning challenges into sweet success.
What inspired you to start Bunnie Cakes, and how did your personal story influence your business?
The inspiration behind my business is my oldest son Luke. Since birth he presented allergies to dairy. I had the initial idea when it was time to celebrate his second birthday and I wanted to accommodate his allergies. Since then, my kids ( I have 5) have been a constant source of inspiration for the expansion to the bakery line, flavors, designs and ideas that have been present in the company for the past 15 years.
What was the biggest hurdle you faced when you first started experimenting with allergy-friendly recipes?
It was a challenge to find the ingredients. I was a pioneer in 2009, and the amount of information and providers for vegan and gluten free baking was very limited to a few resources and providers.
Also, the cost of the ingredients was really high and the waste for different trials was considerable, I had to take that into consideration when planning my initial budgets.
Growing up, you were influenced by your mother and grandmother's passion for cooking. Could you share a favorite memory of baking or cooking with them?
I remember my grandmother making this version of a vanilla cake recipe at her house ( she was not vegan, and used to bake every weekend) and I was so eager to help her, so her only instruction for me was to put the eggs into the batter, I always made a mess and threw egg shells to the batter, but with patience she used to tell me: it doesn’t matter you made a mistake, you just need to be patient and take piece by piece of the egg shells out to make it perfect. This is the same recipe I used for my Bunnie Cakes original batter, I just replaced the eggs and the dairy and tweaked a few steps.
Bunnie Cakes is known for its vegan and allergy-friendly options. What motivated you to focus on these particular specialties besides your son’s allergy?
I saw there was an opportunity and a gap in the market that needed to be filled. I saw the necessity and I also saw that the food allergy market was not a trend, was something that at that time I saw it as a growing opportunity that eventually transform into what you see today, and it will continue to grow and specialize and improve.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you've faced in running Bunnie Cakes, and how have you overcome them?
One of my biggest challenges was to find the appropriate way to learn how to scale my business. I have always seen my brand as an entity that can become a household brand and a staple in plant based and allergy friendly baking. Having the resources and the knowledge on how to do it right has been a challenge. Fortunately, I have had many mentors and help along the way that have been key in the success of the company and how can we transform my vision into a reality.
How do you decide on new flavors or products to introduce at Bunnie Cakes? Is there a process that you follow?
I usually love to test trial with my family. I also listen to my customers’ requests and my kids opinions and suggestions, from there we have created flavors like: pink lemonade, cinnamon sugar, among many others that have been a crowd favorite.
Your cakes often feature artistic designs, such as lifelike paintings and decorations. How do you integrate your love for art into your cake designs?
I am a passionate for arts and design. I design and do all the creative and art direction for our cakes and cupcakes and the brand look in general. Since I was a kid my hobbies have included: painting, drawing, crafts and interior decorating, so it comes naturally to me to include all my inspiration into the bakery brand and product design.
Have there been any flavors or products that didn’t work out as planned? How did you handle that?
Yes! Through the years we had some flavors that are less popular than others, for example our chocolate coconut cupcake was so delicious, yet it was not selling well as is not as popular with kids, we decided to take that flavor out of the menu and continue experimenting with others.
Can you describe a project or cake that has been particularly meaningful to you?
We recently launch a series of signature cakes at our website. The designs and tittles of the cakes reflected my mood during hard times, for example the cake: “smile you got this!” Is a beautiful sprinkle covered cake that can cheer you up and make you smile. Also, the cake: “Look how they shine for you” is a reminder for me than even through difficult times the stars are always there and there is always light to guide your path.
In what ways does Bunnie Cakes engage with the local community in Miami?
We participate in local and community events whenever possible to showcase our brand. I also recently started conversations to bring Bunnie Cakes to Miami local hospitals where inmune suppressed kids can enjoy decorating their own cupcake and eat it, making it a better and healthier alternative for them as it is free of the main common allergens as well as free of all artificial colorings.
How important is customer feedback to you, and how has it shaped your business?
I am open to listen to my customers. It is very important for me; they are the ones that has made me come up with ideas like adding the tagline “our heart with every cupcake”. There was this beautiful customer that one day told me: “you literally put your heart in all your creations”, and the idea of having pink hearts on all our cakes and cupcakes as well as the tagline was formed.
They are definitely a source of feedback and inspiration.
Sustainability is increasingly important to consumers. What steps has Bunnie Cakes taken to address environmental concerns in your operations?
We are always looking for suppliers and ingredients that have pledge for sustainability or are certified. We also tried to reduce the use of plastic in our packaging and decrease our carbon footprint.
How do you source your ingredients, and why is this important for your brand?
I personally research all ingredients before putting them into the mixes, making sure they are not only plant based but also free of disruptive chemicals and artificial colorings and flavors, also all of them go through a list of verification with our kosher certification agency making sure they approved by out rabbi.
Bunnie Cakes has grown impressively, being sold in major outlets like Whole Foods and Starbucks and gaining a significant online following. What strategies have you found most effective in scaling your business?
I plan to see Bunnie Cakes in different business verticals through the US, we are launching by the end of the year our direct-to-consumer Bunnie Cakes ready to bake cupcake batter in major retailers, which will be available nationally at the end of 2025. For now, the launching of north and southeast will be happening at the end of this year.
Our retail store side and future expansion of vending machines like the ones installed at the Miami International Airport is on the works, with many surprises coming on that side of the business in 2025.
The most effective plan is to have an organized streamline production, make sure to have costs controlled and have the vision to find creative opportunities in the food market.
What are your future aspirations for Bunnie Cakes? Are there new locations, products, or collaborations on the horizon?
We have many plans that we are working right now.
For now, the only one that I can disclose is the launching of the Bunnie Cakes ready to bake cupcake batter in vanilla and chocolate and our frosting happening the last quarter of this year in east region through major supermarkets like Wholefoods, Kroger, among many others.
But there are 2 other projects of expansion that are spectacular, I just can’t disclose them right now.
What is your personal favorite item on the Bunnie Cakes menu, and why?
I love my passion fruit cupcake and our chocolate chip cupcake. They both remind me of my childhood and the combination of flavors and texture is on point.
If you had to choose one Bunnie Cakes product to recommend to a first-time visitor, what would it be?
Our guava or passion fruit cupcakes are a explosion of flavors and are absolutely delicious! Also, our ready to bake very vanilla cupcake batter is so flexible and wonderful to make any type of dessert you can imagine, and is as easy as squeeze and bake.
Running a business can be very demanding. How do you balance your professional and personal life?
I have to organize my days and distribute my responsibilities with my team and my family. It requires organization, discipline, and a strong mindset to follow an organized agenda.
What do you do to unwind and relax when you're not at the bakery?
I train at the gym 5 days out of the week for 1 hour, this started as a to do list on my daily activities and have quickly morphed into the hour i choose to be with myself and enjoy time with my friends that are at the gym.
I also love to watch movies with the kids and enjoy going to beach by myself.
As a mother of five, how do you balance the demands of your business with family life? What role do your children play in Bunnie Cakes?
I need to have time for myself away from the business when I am with my kids and viceversa. Through the years I have learned to separate and guide my bakery crew and my family to help each other and work as team. The first years of entrepreneurship were hard and not always balanced, I had to make a conscious effort to separate the business when I’m with kids, and the kids when I’m at the business, is like two Marianas that have been developing through the years.
My kids are my source of inspiration and the best taste testers in the world, also my teenagers are our social media idea makers, they bring a lot of suggestions to the table that eventually help us to market our products.
What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own bakery or business in the food industry?
To be be resilient and optimize your strengths. To have the discipline to organize a plan and follow it in small steps, one at a time. Eventually when everything is in place and organized the opportunities will become clearer to start to scale and continue your professional path.
What are some lessons you've learned that you wish you knew when you started?
The biggest lessons I have learned are:
- I will always listen to myself and my intuition
- I will continue to improve by listening to others and grabbing the important tips and information they give me, also accepting criticism as a way to improve.
- I will always have the courage to talk and make my voice and dreams heard, no matter the position I am in personally
- I can enjoy being a mom and my true calling as business owner without feeling guilty
- There are always second chances and thirds and fourths, you just need to keep trying and redirect your strength with patience.
