How Alexa Ryan Built Bakr Into the Midwest’s #1 Dough Brand

Every successful brand starts with a simple idea and a lot of hard work. How do you grow from long nights in the kitchen to nationwide distribution?

This week’s VentureFuel Visionary is Alexa Ryan, Founder and CEO of Bakr, a frozen cookie dough brand built on real butter, clean ingredients, and bakery-quality flavor. What began with her and her husband hand-scooping dough for 14-hour shifts has grown into the Midwest’s #1 frozen cookie dough brand.

In this special interview — originally recorded at the 2025 Midwest Dairy Pitch Competition in September of this year — Alexa shares how winning the 2023 Midwest Dairy Pitch Contest jumpstarted Bakr’s journey and opened doors to major retail expansion. She also reveals the biggest challenges of scaling, the importance of partnerships, and her advice for fellow founders.

Episode Highlights

• From Kitchen Experiments to Market Expansion – Alexa shares how early 14-hour kitchen shifts and a single pitch competition win became the foundation for scaling into thousands of retail stores across the Midwest.
• Turning Passion Into a Scalable Product – She explains how a love for baking and a background in supply chain came together to create a frozen dough brand built on real butter, clean ingredients, and consistent quality.
• Scaling Without Losing Quality – The conversation delves into how a growth mindset, strong partnerships, and constant feedback helped maintain bakery-level flavor while moving from hand-scooped batches to large-scale production.
• Grit, Growth, and Knowing What Matters Most – Alexa reflects on how resilience and adaptability shaped every stage of the journey, reminding founders to stay rooted in their “why” even as the business scales.
• Advice for Founders Ready to Take the Leap – She shares practical lessons on building the right partnerships, managing growth, and trusting the process — proving that steady progress beats overnight success.