Philly has always been known for its food. The thick, dripping cheesesteaks that go down best with a Phillies game, the salty, over-sized pretzels that turn a “snack” into a full-blown meal, and of course, the classic Philly gluten-free baked goods. Well, maybe they’re more, up-and-coming. But for those of us navigating the Philly food scene with gluten-free or other specialty diets, Alison Lubert and Heather Esposito, of Sweet Freedom Bakery, are working to make our food futures a little bit brighter.

The two friends turned business partners opened up their bakery in January of 2010 with the goal of creating food that was both eatable for even the strictest diets and delicious. Their products are dairy-free, casein-free, egg-free, gluten-free, and many are wheat, peanut, and soy-free as well. The only thing they are not, is taste-free! Don’t let their lack of common ingredients fool you—Sweet Freedom’s products are as great-tasting as they are healthy! (I would especially recommend the chocolate chip cookie sandwich with chocolate frosting.)

Sweet Freedom Bakery operates differently from traditional bakeries. For Heather and Alison, their goal is not just great taste but putting out products that are healthy for consumers and made with sustainability in mind. Both women graduated from the Institute of Integrated Nutrition (IIN) and have been longtime advocates of healthy eating and lifestyle. They created Sweet Freedom in response to their combined love of nutrition and sweet tooth tendencies.

Their vision with Sweet Freedom has and will continue to be, about putting quality before convenience—not an easy goal for a bakery business. “We want to know that what we’re putting out there is as health-promoting as it can be” says Alison. She explains that their profit margins certainly haven’t been nearly as large as they could be because they refuse to cut corners and buy cheaper, unhealthier products. They limit their ingredients to organic ingredients, unrefined sugars, and other items that add up to large shipping costs, but for Sweet Freedom, overpaying pays off—their careful selections of ingredients allows them to serve the vegan and food-allergy clientele that until this point have gone hungry when it comes to baked goods. “I’ve had customers come in here and start to cry, kids with allergies who are excited to be able to enter a bakery for the first time.”

And along with loyal and excited customers, neighbor businesses have been equally receptive. Gourmet to Go Vegetarian is a few steps away and a Whole Foods grocer, which typically attracts customers willing to pay more for healthier choices, is down the street. “This is a developing area,” says Alison, “so businesses want to work together to improve the neighborhood.” Helping out and giving back are important for Alison and Heather, who frequently donate their products to gluten-free and vegan events and causes that promote local, sustainable food that align with Sweet Freedom’s purposes.

In Heather and Alison’s business, it is clear that their priorities are intentionality and quality. From the friendly greetings customers receive when entering the store, to the colorful and comfortable seating, to the pricier, but healthier and more sustainable ingredients the bakery chooses, every decision they make keeps their vision in mind and allows them not only to offer their products to a large population that typically has had to miss out on an entire category of food, but to offer quality and great taste to every food-lover!