By Addison Gernenz | Intern
From colossal-sized donuts to scratch-made warm pretzels, Beachy’s Baking Co. offers an array of dough-licious treats to the Waco community. Frequently drawing in crowds, Beachy’s is both family-owned and housed in a bright teal food truck.
Founded by Robinson locals, Travis and Rosa Beachy, the business launched last March; however, Travis said the idea for Beachy’s began seven years ago.
The idea was put on hold when the couple had twins, but they revisited it last year, once they were in a better position to start a business.
Rosa Beachy said the best part of being a family-owned business is creating something meaningful together.
“The long nights and early mornings can be demanding and also rewarding to know we’re working toward a shared dream,” she said. “Our three children get excited about being a part of it as they get older.”
Travis Beachy said there are both helpful and challenging aspects to owning a food truck.
“We’re able to be mobile and do different events,” Travis said. “We do a lot of events at Baylor, we do events with Magnolia and we’re able to go to Temple and Belton and Cameron.”
The weather is also a variable for the couple, as it impacts the workability of the dough, according to Travis.
“We have a sourdough base donut dough,” Travis said. “It acts differently in different types of weather.”
The dough differs based on humidity, weather and temperature; variables the Beachys would not need to consider if they had a building — a goal they are currently striving towards.
“We wanted to start off with a truck,” Travis said. “Just to prove the concept in Waco before we went into a brick-and-mortar.”
Travis said they have been blown away by the support the Waco and Robinson area has given since the business’s launch.
“We weren’t sure what to expect, but it’s been really great,” Travis said. “Obviously, there’s not a ton of pretzel options in Waco, so we’ve had a really warm reception to pretzels. And people really like our original donut, it’s just different from any other donuts in town.”
Travis said that their baking process is what makes them unique.
“There’s a lot of great donuts in town, but it just has that scratch-made kind of warmness that reminds you of going to your grandma’s house and having donuts,” Travis said.
Rosa, who often works the front window of Beachy’s, said she loves the connection and community aspect of their food truck.
“From first-time customers to regulars who come back week after week, it’s a joy to hand someone a scratch-made donut or soft pretzel,” Rosa said.
Despite past experience, launching Beachy’s Baking Co. had its own learning curve.
“Waco likes new things, so it really took off at the beginning, and then it was summer,” Travis said. “It was hot, it dipped down a bit, and then it shot right back up in the fall again.”
Travis said business has become more consistent while continuing to grow.
“It grows probably 10% to 15% month over month,” Travis said.
Travis and Rosa are currently working to gain more student presence around the truck. They are currently focusing on getting Beachy’s to Baylor and have been working with various people at Baylor to secure on-campus parking.
“We hope the opportunity presents itself,” Travis said. “We do a lot of events with Baylor, and so we get a lot of exposure there. A lot of kids will come here on Saturday, because it’s the closest option for them.”
This week, Beachy’s will be found 9 a.m. to 3 p.m on Wednesday at Keith Ace Hardware in Belton, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Thursday at the Brookshire Brothers in Cameron, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday at Tractor Supply in Temple and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Lowe’s in Waco.
Weekly locations are always announced on Mondays via their Instagram page, @BeachysBakingCo, along with free giveaways, where participants can enter to win half a dozen donuts or half a dozen pretzels.
