Amina Adeyemi began Veeyon Cakes in April, 2020 somewhat unexpectedly.
A lawyer and 2014 émigrée from Nigeria, she began baking while studying for the bar exam. “Something to get my mind off books!” A friend asked if Adeyemi could make something for a friend. Adeyemi could and did. Word-of-mouth referrals followed.
Today Veeyon Cakes offers custom cakes for every occasion. Its products are home-baked by Adeyemi in Eden Prairie and are “fresh, with attention to detail, custom decoration and no additives.”
Flavors include vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, confetti, strawberry cake, lemon blueberry – and anything else a customer might request or imagine. Lead times can be between two days and two weeks for this part-time business. Not surprisingly, prices are higher than mass-produced products. Veeyon Cakes’ most popular items are cupcakes and 6-, 8- or 9-inch cakes.
Most customers are individuals from Eden Prairie, though businesses can engage their customers or employees with baked goods adorned with a company logo. “I love Eden Prairie,” says Adeyemi, “Perhaps because it was the first place I lived in the United States,” she admits. “It has been very welcoming.”
For Valentine’s Day, Veeyon Cakes is offering cookie and cupcake kits, DIY cookie kits, Valentine’s hot cocoa bomb and PYO cookies. “Valentine’s Day is a day we celebrate Love! Give a gift of love to your wife, husband, kids, grandparents, friend or essential workers or teachers!” Adeyemi expects to offer custom cookies shortly.
“Veeyon is actually my middle name. It means children are precious. I chose the name Veeyon because I bake to help support people celebrate their precious moments in life,” explains Adeyemi.
Opening a business during the pandemic was oddly a positive, with orders coming in from people stuck at home and kept from their normal routines. Under trying circumstances, Adeyemi found it “…satisfying to put a smile on someone’s face.”
Veeyon Cakes is a home bakery. As such, Adeyemi finds support from the MN Cottage Food Producers Association. She publicizes Veeyon Cakes with a Facebook page and on Instagram, as well as the Eden Prairie Bulletin Board on Facebook and the Eden Prairie community space on the Nextdoor platform. “At the end of the day I thank God for every opportunity I get.”
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