Katie Kolbus

Katie Kolbus + Motown Freedom Bakery

“I am the owner and baker at Motown Freedom Bakery – an Allergy-Friendly mobile bakery operating primarily in the Metro Detroit region. MFB specializes in baking delicious allergy-free treats with a healthy twist. All of our menu items are free of the Top 8 (plus 2) food allergens – gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, corn and sesame. We use high-quality, nutritious ingredients like unrefined sweeteners, chia seeds and coconut oil.

So whether you live with food allergies or intolerances, choose a vegan lifestyle or are simply conscious of your food choices, MFB offers a better choice for sweet treats. We wish to give everyone the Freedom to Say Yes!”

Building her Business

“Build was an incredible experience for me as it provided me with ongoing support, encouragement and knowledge. I learned how to build a strong foundation for my business, especially as MFB is currently experiencing tremendous growth. I looked forward to my Thursday morning class because it was a dedicated time to work on my business instead of constantly working in my business.”

Beyond Build

“MFB had a tremendous holiday season and we are hoping to use that success as a springboard into this New Year. We have plenty of new ideas to implement, including a co-op style delivery system that will effectively allow us to expand our delivery radius to outside the immediate metro area. We are exploring partnerships with many local businesses and are looking to expand our menu options to more savory items such as breads.”

MFB is also going to be a featured business at the Kiva Soup on January 17th and we are currently working with Kiva to participate in their Zip loan program. We will use these funds to work with Wedge, a Detroit-based company, to design a cohesive brand that will be recognizable not just here in Metro Detroit but elsewhere across the country.”

Future Building

“MFB’s mission and larger vision is to be a leader in providing safe, yet nutritious baked goods to a population that truly cares about the food they are eating. We want Detroit and the state of Michigan to become known not just for our potato chips, pop and coney dogs. As a friend and supporter of MFB wrote: MFB’s brownie is like Detroit. On the surface, it seems to represent everything that is wrong (sugar-filled, empty treat; a crime-ridden, damaged city), but when you take a bite, you find a city full of sweet, warm, welcoming and hardworking people that are rich with creativity.”