After eight years, co-founder Nicole Puyear is leaving The Cup. Business partner Ericka Frank will take sole ownership beginning Sept. 15.
The duo launched The Cup in 2007 after Frank, a longtime baker, looked to expand beyond sister shop, The Cakery. She brought Puyear on to help with marketing, development and operations. What they anticipated as a little neighborhood bakery blossomed into four locations, including the Central West End, Chesterfield, Edwardsville and Springfield, Missouri.
Puyear said her decision to leave came after the recent adoption of her daughter. “Once Hattie came home, it became immediately clear I couldn’t give everything to the business. I love The Cup, but I realized I wasn’t giving Hattie the best of me,” she said. “My husband and I waited so long and tried so hard to have family, so I don’t want to miss anything.”
Frank said she does not anticipate any immediate changes to The Cup and is not looking to expand the business anytime soon. She is grateful for the eight years she and Puyear worked together and is looking forward to The Cup’s future. “I’m excited about the opportunity to take the lead on my own,” she said.
Puyear said she and Frank remain friends, and she looks forward to supporting the business as a customer. “I still need my favorite tuxedo cupcakes,” she said.
This article appears in September 2015.