At Independence High School (IHS), a small business known as LOVE & FLOUR is admired by many teachers and students as the go-to place for bakery items.

IHS sophomore Tanvi Muppala officially launched LOVE & FLOUR on July 16, 2021, baking and selling a variety of homemade bakery items including brownies, cookies, french macarons, bread, and cupcakes.

Muppala followed her passion for baking and started developing her business between 2018 and 2019. She founded LOVE & FLOUR in 2021 along with her sister Drithi Muppala as the co-founder. 

“Our business is going really well so far; there have been so much more sales than when we first started. Although we want to expand more, we are taking it slow, because it is a new business.” Muppala said.

Muppala explains why she started LOVE & FLOUR.

“I wanted to be able to distribute fresh treats and goods to those around us. I’ve spent a lot of time perfecting my recipes and I want to make others happy through my baking,” Muppala said. “Together, my sister and I run the business and we strive to focus on making quality food: fresh, from scratch, and with mostly organic ingredients.”

Along with running LOVE & FLOUR, Muppala is also an officer for Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), MU Alpha Theta (MUAT), and is a part of the IHS drill team.

Muppala talks about the difficulties of running a business.

“We struggled when we first started the business because we had a lot of planning to do. We really underestimated the amount of work that would go into running the business.” Muppala said. “There are also a lot of rules and regulations required to run a home-based bakery.” 

Muppala elaborates on some difficulties she ran into developing her business.

“I had to get a food handlers certificate after taking an online course; we also had to be really creative with marketing, as we were advertising to a big audience for the first time,” Muppala said.

Muppala talks about her business’s most favored item.

“Our brownies are definitely our most popular product, they sell really well. Usually, when customers taste the brownies, they always want to order more; they are that good!” Muppala said. 

IHS Math teacher Shelby Hasten talks about LOVE & FLOUR, explaining how she came to know of it and why she ordered from there.

“A student brought some of her brownies to class and shared one with me. It was so yummy, after the first bite, I could tell that her desserts were high quality, and it’s more convenient than going to a bakery, and all I had to do was just tell Tanvi what I’d like and when,” Hasten said. “It’s exciting to see students pursuing their passions.” 

To learn more about LOVE & FLOUR visit @loveandflour_frisco on Instagram and to place orders visit loveandflourfrisco.wixsite.com. Orders are taken through DM’s on Instagram or through a google form on their website.