Piece and Freedom Bakery, a Ukrainian-owned bakery, brings the flavors of Kyiv, Ukraine, to Ames, Iowa. Originally only found at farmers markets, the bakeryās brick-and-mortar location is set to open on January 11th, 2025.
Piece and Freedom Bakery is a family business devoted to its mission of uniting communities. The bakery is owned by two families: Shalika Khindurangala and her mother, Iryna Khindurangala, alongside Hanna Petrova and her mother, Yana Petrova, who combined their passions and expertise in 2024 to develop the business and deepen its impact.
Piece and Freedom Bakery got its name as a play on words, inspired by Shalikaās sentiment: āWhat does a person need in life, especially a Ukrainian person? Freedom. And sometimes, a piece of pie can fix everything.ā
Hand-picking high-quality ingredients, being precise with product sourcing, and having a distinctive flavor profile that surprises American customers are all things that make Piece and Freedom Bakery unique. Beyond their exceptional baked goods, their strong community support is a testament to their successāthanks to their warm hospitality and the personal touch of learning their customers’ names.
The owners of Piece and Freedom Bakery are very active in the community. They actively participate in events and workshops organized by the Ames Economic Alliance for Ukrainians and assist with translations, ensuring that more people in the community can fully engage with and benefit from the events taking place. Getting involved in the community has been key to meeting the many people who have supported their business, including Leah Locke, the Regional Director of Iowa State Universityās SBDC, who has been instrumental in their journey.
The biggest challenge that the owners of Piece and Freedom Bakery faced was the fear of whether they should take the risk of expanding their business beyond farmers markets. Shalika, Hanna, and Iryna had full-time jobs and planned to continue working at them full-time. Therefore, they had to heavily consider if the Ames community would enjoy their baked goods or want to learn about the countries they originated from.
With the support of customers and experience from farmers markets, they decided to open Piece and Freedom Bakery as a full-fledged bakery. They found the perfect location and started construction during Thanksgiving break in 2024. They are ready to open a month and a half later this January.
Looking to the future, building a strong and solid customer base will be the main focus for Piece and Freedom Bakery. In addition, they are committed to keeping the bakery open late to give the Ames community a welcoming space to gather and spend time together.
When pondering her experience with the SBA and Leah Locke, Iowa State University SBDCās Regional Director, Shalika mentioned her gratitude to them for their assistance. She received assistance with accounting, small business development, business planning, and sourcing financing. With the help of the SBA and SBDC, Piece and Freedom Bakery was one of the first businesses to win the Story County grant for small businesses.
Shalika said, āWorking with SBDC empowered me to do more than I thought I could ever do with the knowledge I that didnāt have but gained through consistent and professional conversions that I had with Leah.ā
Shalikaās Advice: āJust lean in, do it! You may think it takes a million dollars, but it doesnāt. If you want to do it, do it. You will find one thousand and one reasons not to do it, and they are valid, but if there is a voice in your head that says you need to do it, you should probably do it.ā
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