how it all started...

Bak’d began in 2018, when Sarah found herself newly on maternity leave with her first son, and a serious creative itch. What started as a way to stay inspired quickly turned into a love affair with celebration cakes, cookies and cupcakes, the kind of bakes that looked just as good as they tasted and brought people together for life’s big (and small) moments.

Creating joy through food was always the goal… even if the format was still evolving.

fast forward to 2020...

The world was in lockdown, Sarah was pregnant with baby number two, and she and Ben were knee-deep in a home renovation. Sarah made the decision to hit pause on the business and focus on family.

But if you know Sarah, you know she doesn’t sit still for long.

While scrolling socials and experimenting with trending recipes, she stumbled across something that stopped her mid-scroll: crystal candy.

“They were stunning, like edible jewels,” she remembers.

Naturally, she had to try making them.

The first batch? Cupcake toppers. Then life rolled on… but the idea never really left.

In December 2022, that spark came bubbling back. Sarah casually posted on Instagram, asking if anyone might be interested in buying crystal candy.

The response was an instant, overwhelming yes.

On April 16, 2023, Bak’d officially launched on Etsy — selling handmade crystal candies straight from the family kitchen.

What followed was a blur of trays, timers and drying racks.

Crystal candy takes 7–10 days to dry, and kitchen space only stretches so far. By October 2023, Sarah had bought her first baker’s trolley. By November, every spare corner of the house was filled with trays of sparkling sugar.

That’s when Ben started asking questions.

enter Ben (and the moscato)

Between the long drying times, late-night cutting sessions after the kids were asleep, and orders stacking up, it became clear this wasn’t just a phase.

So Ben poured a glass of moscato, rolled up his sleeves, and stayed up with Sarah stirring pots, packing orders, offering moral support (and snacks).

Soon, a spare room was cleared for production. Friends and family were roped in. The house turned into a sugar-coated production line, and neither of them could deny it anymore.

They were onto something special!

from spare room to factory floor

By April 2024, it was time to take the leap.

Sarah and Ben began the search for a proper workspace, and in May, signed the lease on their very first factory. Ben left his job to join Bak’d full-time, and just like that, the business evolved from a homegrown side hustle into Australia’s leading maker of crystal candy.

Fast forward to now, nearly two years in the factory, a team of seven, and countless trays of candy later... they’re still doing what they love most: creating beautiful, joy-filled treats and building something they’re incredibly proud of.

Still hands-on. Still family-run. Still working their butts off.

And honestly? Still just getting started.

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