Today we’d like to introduce you to Livia Weingarten
Hi Livia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started Livia Jo’s Bagels in 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio, where I grew up. I had just graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2020, and like many, my final semester was completely derailed by COVID. I ended up finishing my Marketing degree online while living back in Solon, Ohio. With the uncertain job market, I rekindled my love for home baking—something I’ve always enjoyed.
With so many places closed during the pandemic, the idea of baking bagels at home felt less daunting since I had all the time in the world. I started by making bagels for my family and then began dropping them off in the mailbox for friends in my hometown. It was my family who pushed me to turn this hobby into a business, and after perfecting my recipe, I launched my Instagram account.
Through word of mouth, I started getting steady weekly orders for delivery around Cleveland. In 2021, I moved back to Cincinnati for a new job, which meant Livia Jo’s Bagels had to shift from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Shortly after, I switched to working full-time at a bakery focused on sourdough bread, which taught me a lot about handling larger quantities of baked goods.
Since I operate as a Cottage Food business, I still bake out of my home kitchen. My first apartment oven wasn’t ideal for large batches, so I first had to scale back on bagel pickups. I also had to adapt my business model from delivery to pickup since Cincinnati is structured differently than Cleveland. Once I switched apartments and had a better oven, I didn’t do much promotion besides posting sporadically on Instagram until 2024, when my friend Chase helped me brainstorm a complete rebrand, including a new logo and fun teaser videos for the business. This helped grow my following, which went from just over 500 to 1,800 engaged followers, organically and primarily from Cincinnati!
Now, my customers wait for “Bagel Drops” where I announce pick-up dates on Instagram. I also participated in farmers’ markets for the first time last summer and plan to do more this year, at the Montgomery Farmers Market. This is still a side business for me alongside my full-time job, so bagels have become my weekend project. In addition to my regular pick-up events, I take special orders for events like bridal or baby showers and small gatherings.
I’m also thrilled to be delivering bagels to Mellotone Beer Project, which has been using my bagels on its brunch menu!
It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m excited to continue growing Livia Jo’s Bagels and sharing my passion for baking with the Cincinnati community! I am super excited to see what 2025 brings!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As most small businesses know, nothing is a smooth road! Since I never wanted to lose the spark of baking bagels, I have enjoyed slowly growing my business. Not biting off more than I can chew but also still pushing myself to grow! My early struggles were learning how to scale my process and being confident in myself as a baker. Since I never went to culinary school, sometimes that doubt would creep in. My current struggles are ensuring I am reserving enough time to work on Livia Jo’s Bagels while balancing my career and personal life! Since bagels happen on the weekends, I have to sacrifice some social aspects of life, but also the other way around, sacrificing bagels so I can be present for the people in my life!
As you know, we’re big fans of Livia Jo’s Bagels. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Livia Jo’s Bagels is a small, women-owned business offering small-batch, honey-boiled bagels, all handmade by me. I make each batch fresh in the morning of pick-up or at the farmers’ market. I’m proud of how my rebrand, with the help of my friend Chase Tritschler, has helped grow my audience over the past year.
For my bagel pick-ups, I offer half or whole dozens with a custom mix of flavors. At the farmers market, I offer my bagels in three packs, so you can mix and match up to four flavors for a dozen. I aim to create a bagel community in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, bringing people together over delicious, handmade bagels.
You can learn about all my upcoming bagel drops and pick-up locations by following me on Instagram @liviajosbagels.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love most about Cincinnati is the food scene and the strong support for local businesses. The community here truly understands how important it is to support both big and small businesses, and that’s been the best part of growing my bagel business.
My least favorite part is that I had to shift from delivery to pick-up when I moved to Cincinnati. I enjoyed the delivery aspect in Cleveland because it gave me a unique edge, but Cincinnati’s layout isn’t as efficient for delivery, especially now that my business has grown.
Pricing:
- Half Dozen- $20
- Dozen- $30
- 3-Pack-$10
- LJB Sticker- $2.00
- LJB T-Shirt-$24.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.liviajosbagels.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liviajosbagels/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liviajosbagels
