Today we’d like to introduce you to Nilou Gibson.
Hi Nilou, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in California and raised by my father. I went to Nursing School in San Jose, California and have been an RN since 2009. I moved to Texas alone, with hopes of working in the highly prestigious Medical Center. I met my now husband through some mutual friends in Houston. While he was in the process of “woo-ing” me, he brought me home a small pre-packaged buttermilk pie from the local gas station. Pie isn’t really a thing in California, and I certainly had never had buttermilk pie before. My husband grew up eating the most amazing buttermilk pie which is made my incredible mother-in-law. I knew if I could learn how to make this pie, I would be able to win his heart forever. We ended up moving to Calgary, Alberta (Canada) in 2015. We got married and while I tried to have my RN credentials transferred to Canada, It was not approved. I soon became pregnant with our son and became a stay-at-home mom. To fill my time, I would read cookbooks, watch you-tube videos, follow blogs, and teach myself how to bake pies. I would take test recipes and pies to neighbors to enjoy and always made sure if we were invited somewhere, we went with pie. I fell in love with pie because I feel it is a forgotten art. Pie brings everyone together. I am a huge lover of all things vintage and old, I have a soft spot for tradition, and I love how pie usually takes people back to their grandmother’s kitchen with fond memories of family around and memories being made. We moved back to Houston, Texas in 2018. I soon started working as an RN again. I would take pie with me and leave it in the lounge for co-workers and physicians.
Pretty soon, colleagues were asking me to bake for their special occasions and family events. Eventually, I took a leap of faith and posted my pies for sale in my community’s Facebook page. I started off with my signature, perfectly tart and sweet Key Lime Pie. The orders came in fast and I found myself making 15-20 Key Lime Pies a week. I kept adding different flavors slowly and the orders kept coming in. I was able to book my first pie pop-up event at a local BBQ restaurant and I gained quite a bit of traction there. The followers in Instagram were increasing and soon, I was getting orders outside of my community. I had my first Farmer’s Market at Blockhouse Coffee and Kitchen in Richmond, Texas where local vendors are highlighted and supported. It was a magical day! Since then, I have outgrown my home kitchen and I am now renting a commercial kitchen space in Rosenberg, Texas. I have a custom Pie Food Trailer ordered and will be popping up in more locations mid-April. I have now stepped away from working full-time as a Registered Nurse, and I am focusing now 100% on Sweetwater Pies. We are so grateful for the support of our community and surrounding areas. Our goal is to share our love of pie, give back to our community that has given us so much, and help serve up tradition one slice at a time.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The biggest struggle for me personally is making sure I find some balance between being a small business owner, where I wear all of the hats and being a wife and a mother. In the beginning, as a small business owner, everything is your own responsibility. Early mornings and late nights are common around here. It is very rewarding too, Showing and teaching our son that owning a business is absolutely doable and it requires hard work and determination. Another challenge was finding out how to bring cold pies, custard pies, and cream pies to farmer’s markets. So we ordered a custom Pie Food Trailer which is scheduled to arrive sometime in April.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We specialize in handcrafted, handmade, hand-rolled, hand-crimped pie. Our model is “made to order”, we do not have pies made sitting in inventory or our freezer. Generally, pies are made the night before or very early morning on the day of pick-up. We are known most for our Key Lime Pie, which is a buttery graham cracker crust filled with hand-squeezed fresh Key Lime juice (no concentrate here!) and topped with farm fresh vanilla whipped cream, fresh Key Lime zest and Key Lime wedges. I am most proud of my branding and model of business. I feel that less is always more, and when it comes to pie, we always choose in season ingredients and let the flavors speak for themselves.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up as an only child raised by my incredible father, Michael. Actually, to be honest, it was a family affair. I was raised by my aunts and uncles and my amazingly devoted grandmother, Nora. My family is in the restaurant business in California and I grew up watching them open, run, and sell restaurants. I always knew I wanted to be an RN, so I never thought I would end up here. I grew up playing soccer and spending weekends with friends like most growing kids.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@sweetwaterpies.com
- Website: www.sweetwaterpies.com
- Instagram: @sweetwater_pies
- Facebook: @sweetwaterpies
Image Credits
Jennifer Campbell Lori Starkey
What to check out next:
Aleasha Bahr is a sales & marketing strategist known for showing introverts and ambiverts the Secret Art of Subtle Selling. She personally sold millions in revenue while discovering introverts are usually top sales people – as soon as they stop trying to act like extroverts. We’ve partnered with her to produce Introverted Entrepreneur Success Stories. Check out episode 1 below:
