The Ground Floor: Baking with purpose

Owner: Cindy Kettelkamp

Company: Kettel House Bakery and Cafe

Address: 945 6

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Ave., Marion

Phone: (319) 310-5509

Website: www.thekettelhouse.com

Sixteen years ago in the Kettelkamp house outside Marion, a business was born.

At the time, it was just the business of getting two girls in 4H to state with a batch of winning cinnamon rolls. But that effort took plenty of practice and created plenty of leftovers.

“We were already doing the farmer's market, so we thought, let's take them to the market and see what they think,” said Cindy Kettelkamp, who supervised her daughters' baking efforts. “They liked them, so we started making them on regular basis.”

The money made from those rolls allowed one daughter to buy her first horse. And now, years later, it's also behind the Marion-based bakery that Kettelkamp opened in April with one of those daughters, Emily Hamilton, 24.

“It was a 4H project gone wild,” Kettelkamp said.

The Kettel House Bakery and Cafe opened its doors April 19 with a kitchen full of pecan rolls, kolaches, brioche, jalapeno cheese hot bread and a unique concept. The mother-daughter team is opening up their bake house to other female entrepreneurs looking for a launching pad.

“We have a vision because it's so difficult for women to break into business,” Kettelkamp said.

The Kettel House is asking other business-minded women if they want to join them in the renovated house at 945 6

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Ave. in Marion to incubate to see if their idea will stick and grow into a larger enterprise.

“This is women joining together to be strong and offer more to the community,” Kettelkamp said.

So far, three other female entrepreneurs have moved in.

One has a gourmet cake shop called “Take the Cake,” which complements the Kettel House bakery with its more than 50 flavors of cupcakes. The other two are gift card businesses, one of which is run by a middle school student, Kettelkamp said.

“We are always looking for that fit – a woman looking for a safe place to launch her business,” Kettelkamp said, adding that the female-run business incubator always has room for more. “We are always willing to sit down and talk to a gal and look at what she brings to the table.”

“If it's a good fit, we make room,” she said.

In addition to bakery items, cupcakes and gift cards offered out o f the renovated home turned storefront in Marion, Kettelkamp said she brings in honey and beef from the family farm, and she and her daughter are planning to begin serving deli-style lunches in a few weeks.

Ice cream and pie could be next, she said.

“The people who have come in have been very pleased,” Kettelkamp said. “You can get a roll and kolaches hot out of the oven if you time it right. What's not to like?”