Right on the state line in Texarkana, Parker Bäckerei is growing into a community staple. Owner Taylor Parker has turned a family obligation into a growing enterprise, selling additive-free, European-influenced American baked goods throughout Southwest Arkansas and Northeast Texas. After an impressive run at Pitch it! Texarkana, Parker's business is booming in 2023. Arkansas Business Navigator and U of A Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service are helping position her for long-term success.
Initially, Taylor started baking at around 12 years old. Her first hobby was making dinner rolls for her family during holidays and special occasions. In 2015, she started experimenting with different recipes and ingredients. A year later, she started selling baked goods to family members and other close people.
Then in 2020, Taylor and her family moved back to Texarkana from Knoxville, Tennessee, and started selling at the Texarkana Farmers Market.
Taylor competed with over 50 contestants in Pitch It! Texarkana, finishing in the top ten. Since the competition, she has nearly generated her total annual revenue from last year and is on pace to double that amount. Her business is growing nearly out of her home kitchen. One of Taylor’s goals for her business is to develop a commercial mobile bakery to help her conveniently get her bread products to the customers that want them.
Working with ABN, she gained access to market research that identified that the majority of residents within a 30-minutes radius of Texarkana don’t want to eat foods with artificial additives in them--a key component of her business. ABN helped her express that in her pitch, which along with delicious samples helped her land in the finalist category of the 2nd annual pitch competition.
ABN also assisted Taylor with developing new social media strategies to attract new customers and help retain those that already shop with her.
You can find her locally at the Texarkana Farmers Market on Saturday and Tuesday nights, on Facebook, and at many pop-up events in Southwestern Arkansas and Northeast Texas. Parker Bäckerei's mission is to serve wholesome quality items that are handmade and taste better than any of the competition.
