Review & Reset: A Year-End Letter from Cara

Hi friends,

Every December, our team pauses for a review and reset.

We quiet the mixers, close the order tabs, and open our laptops for one simple ritual: two digital vision boards—one personal, one for work. We look back at the goals we set last January, what actually happened, what surprised us, and where we grew.

The point isn’t perfection. It’s learning how to be better teammates, better leaders, and better humans.

This pause helps us see clearly. When we come back, our decisions are steadier, our standards are higher, and our service is kinder.

What 2025 Taught Us

Listen, then simplify.
We spent this year listening closely—to reviews, DMs, emails, and those little notes you leave at checkout. You told us what you really love (and what you can live without), so we streamlined our offerings to reflect that. Fewer choices, better quality, faster “yes.”

Consistency earns trust.
We’re not trying to be everywhere. We’re trying to show up reliably—with baked-not-fried cake donuts that taste the same kind of amazing every time, Naked Cakes with smooth, homemade buttercream, and cookies that are just as good on a Tuesday afternoon as they are on a holiday dessert table.

Rooted in community.
So many of you have been with us since the early days—farmers markets, pop-ups, first online orders. Your feedback shaped real updates this year, like:

• Free gift notes – Type a message at checkout, and we’ll print it on our branded stationery and tuck it on top of the box.
• SRVB Loyalty Club – Earn points as you order and redeem them for discounts on future treats.
• VIP Tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold) – Perks that get sweeter the more you show up for us.

On top of that, our Vanilla Cake Donuts were named a 2025 Best Snack by Good Housekeeping—not in a “vegan-only” category, but right alongside everyday favorites. Our team is grateful and energized by that recognition, and even more by the customers who say, “We knew you had it in you.”

Many of you knew my grandmother, Mary Lee.

She lived to 102, and her spirit—steady, generous, joyful—runs through this bakery. She was one of our very first taste testers, and she never sugar-coated her feedback. If it wasn’t good enough, she said so. If it was, you could see it in her eyes before she even spoke.

When she passed this year, we shared Mary Lee Mondays, a month of memories that reminded us why we do this in the first place: to gather people, to celebrate, to love well.

We carry her name and example into everything we make—every donut, every cake layer, every box that leaves our kitchen with your name on it.

What We’re Carrying Into 2026

As we look toward 2026, here’s what we’re taking with us:

Deeper relationships with our customers.
We love hearing from our repeat buyers who’ve seen us through different seasons of life—new jobs, new babies, new cities. Keep telling us what’s working and what you’d like to see. We’re listening.

Clarity and care.
We want to keep doing work that’s kind—to you, to our team, and to our wider community. That means clear communication, honest timelines, and products we’re genuinely proud to put our name on.

A brand built to last.
Our dream is for Southern Roots Vegan Bakery to be a familiar name in your family for years to come—a dependable, trusted presence for birthdays, holidays, Tuesday cravings, office wins, and “just because” moments.

To do that well, we’re giving our team a break to be with their families, reflect, and reset. We’ll be back in January—rested, grateful, and ready to serve you at an even higher level.

From our family to yours: thank you for showing up for us this year—through your orders, your notes, your reviews, and the way you speak kindly to our team.

We’re praying blessings over you and your family, and we hope 2026 is full of health, peace, and moments worth celebrating.

With gratitude,
Cara
Co-Founder, Southern Roots Vegan Bakery