By: Kayley Babcock | Staff Writer
Editor’s Note: This is a collaboration with Newport Life Magazine, which strives to “educate its readers about Newport County’s distinctive history, as well as the remarkable events that occur today.”
The journey of the Grain Reaper Baking Co., “the alternative gourmet bakery,” has been “dreadfully beautiful” as owner Karli Scorpio describes it. From baking with her Nonna, to baking in her apartment, then a closet-sized kitchen in Warren, R.I., and finally a private commercial kitchen in Empire Tea & Coffee on Broadway in Newport; the Grain Reaper’s eccentric theme certainly mirrors Scorpio’s unique path.
She offers a wide variety of gluten-free (and occasionally vegan) cookies, but with a twist. Grain Reaper Baking Co. doesn’t have the usual bright, pastel aesthetic that we may typically expect, but rather its own personality. Scorpio says that the Grain Reaper is representative of “all the weird, funky, alternative people who have a love for the dark, spooky aesthetics, vibes, and themes that make Gothic art and literature what it is. So, she’s me, but she’s also her own self, and I think she’s become a part of people as well.”
Scorpio was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2022, a time where gluten-free options were not nearly as mainstream as they are now. She immediately concluded that there was a need for change in the gluten-free market and wanted to make desserts that would stick out. More specifically, she wanted to make gourmet cookies that actually had flavor and shape. She started baking for herself and experimenting with recipes until she realized that she could revitalize this passion into something even bigger.
In college, Scorpio received a Bachelor of Science and Biology. She might have a real bubbling cauldron, as she uses her background as a research scientist to craft her recipes. Working with gluten-free ingredients isn’t easy, however. One of the biggest obstacles she encounters is that producers and manufacturers are constantly changing their products. To address this problem, she thoroughly researches all of her ingredients and emails the manufacturers to double check them when needed.
She says it’s all about knowing how to read labels and knowing what to look out for, including “hidden gluten,” gluten that is not mentioned in a product or that is not expected to be in a product. With the constant addition of spellbinding flavors, these tricks assure her treats are of the highest quality.
Scorpio went from “producing 500 cookies a week to 2,000 cookies a week,” a result of both a private kitchen space (“the Crypt”) and a strategic baking schedule. “I only make dough one day. I only roll all my cookie dough balls one day. I only bake everything one day. I package everything one day,” she says, and it’s this that allows her to stay organized and productive.
“When I started, I was under the name Iron Crumble, and I was training to be a bodybuilder. I wanted to really incorporate the gym into my theme,” Scorpio says. However, she realized that this wasn’t the exact direction she wanted to go in.
Oddly enough, it was a tattoo that led her to find the true essence of herself, her brand, and her message. She saw a tattoo artist who made flash tattoos for gluten-free people. He had a stencil of the Grim Reaper holding a stalk of wheat, and called it the “Grain Reaper.” Not only did she find this funny, she found it to be the perfect image to adopt for her brand. Now, there is a cookie, and a space, for all of the “goblins and ghouls” out there, as Scorpio calls her audience.
Scorpio says that the Grain Reaper also “represents a much deeper part of me that I think for a very long time, I didn’t know how to embody.”
Living with a chronic illness can be incredibly frustrating and isolating. The Grain Reaper Baking Co. is an immersive experience, one that values inclusivity, and Scorpio assures that no one is left out of it.
“[The Grain Reaper] incorporated a lot of what the gluten-free community represents. There’s a lot of struggle that I feel like gluten-free people go through, especially people with medical conditions that require them to be gluten-free. The Grain Reaper really is the embodiment of opening and unlocking those shackles and giving people the opportunity to feel normal in a not very normal way,” she explains.
Since her bakery is fully online, Grain Reaper cookies can be purchased and enjoyed from all states. They can be found locally at Empire cafe locations and at events; the event schedules are posted on Scorpio’s Instagram (@grainreaperbaking). She says that as a small business owner, she has built invaluable relationships with other small business owners across the country. With an online community at her fingertips, “I can reach everyone that I want,” Scorpio says.
It is evident that her business is fueled by the heart. “I wouldn’t be here without the gluten- free community,” she says.
For the small business owners who hope to breathe life into their own dreams, Scorpio says that the most important part of being a small business owner is to love what you do.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been crying in the Crypt and ready to shut it down, just to wake up the next day and do it all over again because I love it just that much… If it’s worth it to you, and it’s the thing that you love doing, then it’s worth all the struggle,” she says of her own moments of uncertainty.
For those on their gluten-free journey, “have an open mind,” she urges. She says to take advantage of every gluten-free option because what you try “might be your next favorite thing.”
Don’t be afraid to pay a visit to Grain Reaper Baking Co. online and take advantage of Scorpio’s hauntingly delicious cookies at https://www.grainreaperbakingco.com/.
Photos provided by Karli Scorpio
