The story behind Lazy Bake

After living abroad in London, England for six years, Katie Duffin returned to her hometown of Calgary in 2019 just before the pandemic hit. As a long-time lover of baking, she was doing a lot of it while in lockdown (like we all were), and she soon noticed the lack of easy at-home baking subscriptions in comparison to cooking. 

This, mixed with the desire to show people just how easy baking can be, led to the eventual creation of ‘Lazy Bake’ — now a thriving at-home baking kit company that’s giving Betty Crocker some serious competition. 

The best part? Each kit requires only a few simple steps to bake a delicious batch of cookies, brownies, loaf of bread, and more. No one will ever guess you started with a kit! 

We sat down with Katie to learn about her journey so far with Lazy Bake and how she’s making an impact on the community, while sustaining our newfound pandemic hobbies — the ‘lazy’ way. 

What makes Lazy Bake unique?

“While we do sell our baking kits individually, our main product is a monthly subscription including two baking kits sent straight to your door! They only require one to two ingredients, making it ultra-easy. We have a gluten-free monthly delivery as well, and some of our kits are vegan. These kits are currently available in Alberta only.”

How did the pandemic affect your business?

“Lazy Bake was born out of the pandemic, at first as a creative outlet for myself (baking). It evolved into hoping to help the baking confidence of others through empowering them to create delicious treats easily from their own home.”

What makes your community special? How have they supported you?

“My friends and family have really gotten behind me, from helping me with packaging, production, sales, and storage! I’ve met so many amazing and inspiring people over the past year and a half. Some people I chat to over social media I haven’t even met before, and we can still learn so much from each other, I find it so cool. We’re all in this together, and it’s so neat to see how we can help each other out – whether it’s a bit of advice, a pep talk, or promoting each other.”

How do you see Lazy Bake contributing to the Calgary community in the future?

“I’d love to be inspiring others to get into the kitchen across Canada with our subscription platform over the next 5 years. Next year I’d like to select a local charity or organization that aligns with Lazy Bake’s values to get involved with.”

How would you describe Calgary’s small-business community?

“Stellar! I’ve learned so much from so many other businesses this year, and it’s amazing how open and supportive a lot of brands are. The movement right now seems to be that people understand we need to help each other out, which I am thankful for and try to do my part in.”

Lastly, how do you define “community?”

“Lives that overlap. In the overlap, there’s potential for outreach, collaboration, and support.”

Shop for your holiday baking kits or sign up to gift a Lazy Bake baking subscription here! 

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