SPANISH FORT — Bake Blue Bakery was created with a purpose: to provide meaningful employment opportunities for adults with autism while also delivering high-quality baked goods to the community.
The business was founded by Debra Pennington and her son, Reed, who has autism. The name Bake Blue is a reference to both autism awareness and the great blue heron, which stands as a symbol of resilience and independence that embodies the values guiding their business.
The bakery was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which mother and son baked together. Pennington said her son has had jobs before but felt that he was not getting anything meaningful out of them, so the two decided to open a baking business out of their home.
They also wanted to include other adults with disabilities. Their staff currently consists of the Penningtons along with Meg, who has autism and a degree in culinary arts from Coastal Alabama Community College.
Pennington described Bake Blue as a “very encouraging workplace and a place to grow.”
“It’s a family event,” she said. “When one person in the family is diagnosed with autism, it affects the entire family, and I know that’s part of the reason we’ve had so much support is that it’s affecting so many families now.”
According to the Autism Society and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 5.4 million adults in the U.S. live with autism, with approximately 1 in 31 (3.2%) children having been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among a 2022 sample of 8-year-olds from 16 U.S. communities in the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.
Everything at Bake Blue is homemade and nut-free, including cookies such as chocolate chip, lemon sugar, oatmeal raisin and coconut, along with muffins, poundcakes and seasonal specials. All of their goods are hand-delivered to the Mobile and Baldwin County areas, and they have plans to open a storefront in Baldwin County in 2026.
Orders can be placed at www.bakebluebakery.com or by phone at (251) 482-9111.