Alysia Bryant
BBAAA Board Member
Alysia Bryant is the founder and owner of Carefree Cakery LLC. When she was unable to find part-time work in her high school years, she took it upon herself to start baking and selling treats to her classmates. This led to a love of baking and recipe development. During her college years, she elected to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and took on a part-time job as a cake decorator to develop those skills. It was also during this time that she came to understand the issues that affect the community when it comes to baked goods. She learned about the exploitation of vanilla and coffee farmers and how certain allergies completely prevent people from being able to enjoy treats for their special occasions. It became her goal to address these problems with her shop in the future.
After graduation, Alysia took on a management role at the Sherwin-Williams store in Hadley. In addition to giving her real-world experience with running a business, it also afforded her the opportunity to experience and fall in love with the Amherst Area. That, paired with the opportunity to build a custom space in the Mill District in North Amherst, meant that this was the perfect place for
Carefree Cakery to become a reality.
Carefree Cakery opened in August of 2023. There, Alysia Bryant and her team utilize fair-trade coffee, vanilla, and chocolate products to ensure that the farmers are paid a fair wage for their work. Everything is made from scratch with allergy-friendly ingredients. No peanuts or tree nuts are used in the facility, and there’s an entirely separate kitchen with new equipment for producing gluten-free goods that are Celiac safe. Alysia is motivated by her love of her community and has built her business as an expression of gratitude for those who made it possible.