Episode 92: Olga Sagan with Piroshky Piroshky Bakery

As immigrants from the Soviet Union and speaking little English, Piroshky Piroshky Bakery’s founders launched the business 32 years ago in a 350-sq.-ft. space at Seattle’s Pikes Peak Market. In this episode, owner Olga Sagan tells how her grandparents created an Eastern European pastry business that is now a nationally recognized brand.

"Quality never goes out of style," says Olga. "We use the finest ingredients and follow the same traditional family recipes every day when making our sweet and savory Piroshkis," she adds.

"The secret is in the dough. Our daily offering includes traditional piroshki such as cabbage and rice, beef and cheese, and potato and cheese, as well as new popular additions like veggie chipotle, and smoked salmon. Our sweet offerings include chocolate cream hazelnut and cinnamon cardamon braided twists."

Olga joined the family business 24 years ago. She quickly saw the need for operating systems to improve consistency and efficiency. "My finance background was very helpful in structuring the growth of the business." Soon after, the concept had three Seattle locations supported by a production commissary. Olga bought the business in 2017. Within two years, she added two locations and offered online ordering for pickup and delivery. Her pop-up locations in several cities to build awareness of the brand led to Piroshky Piroshky Bakery’s successful nationwide shipping business.

"I am very excited about our short-term future," says Olga. "We have a great team of people and a pastry with a point of difference. California is currently a huge online market for us and may become our next retail market area."

 

Learn more at www.piroshkybakery.com