Sisters fill keto-friendly niche in Central Pa.’s dessert scene with Marie Lane Bakery
When sisters Mya Swires and Leah Mehm were diagnosed with autoimmune disorders, it meant giving up a lot of their favorite foods, including desserts and baked items passed down through their family. However, with a little ingenuity, the two created a solution that would later turn into a business — a line of baked goods to fit an array of dietary needs, including keto, low-sugar, diabetic, gluten-free and more.
“We grew up with two grandmothers who loved to cook. We have a pretty strong Polish heritage,” said Mehm. “We grew up baking and cooking a lot of pierogies and cut-out cookies and wonderful, starchy, carbohydrate- and sugar-filled goodness. So we love baking, and it’s always been a love. But as we both got older, we both developed autoimmune disorders and discovered keto.”
The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that replaces one’s carbohydrate intake with fat in an attempt to help one’s body achieve a state of ketosis, wherein the body burns fat instead of sugar. The diet has grown in popularity for weight loss, but is also used to manage various health concerns. By nature, the keto diet is gluten-free, sugar-free and diabetic-friendly — but for anyone who’s attempted to bake a dessert to any of these specifications, they know it’s much easier said than done.
“We really spent a lot of time trying to develop recipes that felt normal when you ate them, and that still felt like an indulgence and decadent, with similar textures to what we’re used to. It took a lot of time,” Swires said.
After years of enjoying their range of keto-friendly baked goods among friends and family, last year, the sisters had the opportunity to take their specialty baked goods out into the community.
“Mya’s friend and colleague started her own business in Tyrone, called The Brew Coffee and Tap,” Mehm said. “They knew what we were doing and gave us the opportunity to bring our products into their cafe. That was when the light bulb went off, like, ‘Maybe we can do this.’ “
The two became licensed in October and began working out of their Bellefonte kitchen space under the name Marie Lane Bakery. Now, they sell their extensive line of products not only in The Brew Coffee and Tap, but also at The Cakery in Bellefonte, Maine Bay & Berry in College Township and online.
Both women have full-time careers at Penn State, but that hasn’t slowed them down when it comes to making their side hustle successful. They now offer a range of cookies, brownies, muffins, cupcakes and more, alongside seasonal variations. They’re also working on several vegan options.
All of the products are made with whole, real ingredients, without any stabilizers. Because of this, the products must be consumed with seven to 10 days, or frozen. The chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies are “hands down” their most popular offerings.
The two are keeping their eyes open for other places to expand, too, putting a focus on coffee shops and cafes who feature local products, not only in Centre County, but also in Blair County. The Marie Lane Bakery niche also complements traditional bakeries, like The Cakery, too.
“Wouldn’t it be great for someone to come into your shop and buy cupcakes for the entire family,” Swires said, “and if someone is diabetic, keto or gluten-free, they would have an option as well and feel comfortable in that space?”
At the end of the day, that’s part of what makes the Marie Lane Bakery brand great — it’s inclusive, ensuring those who can’t enjoy traditional dessert options, whether because of personal choices or health reasons, can still enjoy the occasional treat. As long as, of course, they can keep the brownies, cookies and other sweets to themselves.
“We have lots of family members who love real sugar, but will still eat these in bulk and not complain,” the two sisters said with a laugh.
See the full line of Marie Lane Bakery products at marielanebakery.com.