Check Out Haruna and Johnny Romo’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haruna and Johnny Romo.

Hi Haruna and Johnny, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
We are a husband and wife team that runs and owns a bakery called Salted Butter Company in Pasadena, California. I, Haruna am the baker, founder, and curator of all things. Johnny, my husband, quarterbacks all of the logistics and helps with all of The Salted Butters events. My love for baking traces back to my early years when I saw Ina Garten on Food Network, and I started baking cupcakes and cookies from her recipes. I would bring them to my ballet studio because I was a full-time ballet student at the time and eventually became a professional ballerina with a prestigious company. One day I landed a jump wrong and had an unfortunate injury where I was no longer able to dance. At the time, it really felt like my life is over. I was living eating and breathing ballet every day so not being able to physically do it, I felt like there was nothing left for me. I returned home to Los Angeles and I found a job at an Italian restaurant in Pasadena.

Little did I know this was my life’s turning point. I met my now-husband there and looking back, the people I encountered there really brought out the true baker in me.

I’ve always known I wanted to be my own boss and that experience really pushed me towards owning my own business. My husband played a pivotal role in really motivating me to start my own company and the next day I was at the health department getting my permits for an at-home cottage bakery.

I was getting very minimal orders in the beginning and was happy to get two! Since the launch of Salted Butter Company in 2021, we are now a full-scale micro bakery with multiple wholesale accounts and are booked out every week!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We have definitely encountered lots of obstacles along the way. For a long time, we had very minimal business. Salted Butter Company started out as a decorative sugar cookie company called Fill me up cookies back in 2019. It was a hobby and side hustle for me while working in the restaurant industry. Getting two orders was so exciting at the time. I was primarily baking for friends and family. Getting the right exposure can be difficult and discouraging at times. Looking back, I realize it’s okay if things don’t come right away and long-term success doesn’t happen overnight. If you put in the hours, the work, and you are dedicated to your craft, be patient, and it will come. Perfecting your product is so much more important than speed. I started decorating sugar cookies in 2019 and here we are now a full scale bakery! It is also totally okay to ask for help. That’s something I really struggled with in the beginning. As you grow in a business and take on more projects, it’s almost impossible to manage everything single-handedly. Even if you can’t afford to put someone on the payroll, your family is your biggest source of support. My husband and his parents, his grandma, my dad, I really wouldn’t be able to do what I do without them, and I am eternally grateful.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a micro-bakery, meaning a licensed commercial home kitchen that specializes in croissants, pastries, and cakes! We are most popular for our croissant pastries and vintage floral cakes. Our pastries are delicious rather than perfect and have a rustic touch. Our croissant dough takes three whole days to make, and the fermentation process is key to the balance of flavors. As you see in the name, we use salted butter for everything. YES everything. Usually in baking recipes call for unsalted butter with the addition of salt. After many many bakes, we realized that salted butter adds a key component of umami flavor to our baked goods and adds the salted butter touch.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
At the age of five, I started classical ballet, and since then my life was 100% dedicated to it. Ballet has really taught me dedication, commitment, perseverance, hard work, and to never give up because something is hard. These qualities have undoubtedly played a big part in my life as a baker and entrepreneur today.

Pricing:

• Croissant pastries $4-$7
• Custom vintage cakes start at $75

Contact Info:

• Website: https://saltedbutter.co/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/saltedbuttercompany?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Saltedbuttercompany?mibextid=LQQJ4d