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Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from the tri-states. In addition to this update from Maquoketa, we will have additional developments in Tuesday’s edition.
A quarter-century after it first opened, a Maquoketa bakery specializing in homemade treats is continuing to evolve.
Missy’s and Family has recently added new products to its repertoire and introduced a “cupcake trailer” that serves the company’s products in various locations around the region.
“Over the years, we have had a very steady business,” said owner Missy Dostal. “When COVID hit, we knew we had to do something to set ourselves apart and stay busy.”
Family has always been at the core of what the business stands for.
Dostal launched the business when her son was just 5 years old.
“I knew I wanted to have a job where I could pick up my son when I wanted to, could be with my family when I wanted to,” Dostal recalled. “So I got into a business where I would have the flexibility to do that.”
From a young age, Dostal’s son would accompany her on deliveries — and he still helps her deliver products to this day.
Dostal emphasized that her husband and her nieces also play an integral role in the business and, one day, she hopes her son and his now fiancé will take over the business entirely.
While Dostal makes the products out of her home, they are sold in a variety of locations around the region, including Dirt Road Darlings in Dubuque, Make A Splash in Maquoketa and Moore Local locations in Bellevue and Maquoketa.
In the past couple years, Dostal has diversified with new products. These include cocoa bombs, which she described as chocolate spheres containing cocoa. The business also introduced cookie kits, which contain pre-baked sugar cookies and various items with which the buyer can decorate them.
On top of that, she’s introduced what she calls a “cupcake trailer,” which allows the business to travel to a variety of tri-state locations and serve customers it otherwise might not have reached.
As the business has grown, Dostal has gone to great lengths to maintain its authentic, homemade essence.
“Everything is made from scratch,” she said. “If we get busy and I mass produce something, that just means that I had to work 20 hours a day. You have to make hay when the sun shines.”
Missy’s and Family can be reached at 563-340-1327.