Tavis Kjer, the student behind the business, was searching for a topic for his Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project when Kelly Miller suggested this great idea. This idea was for him to start a food truck because he wanted to create an award-winning project by his senior year. He’s been running the business since he was 14 and has grown a lot since then.
Kjer found that starting a business was not as easy as he expected. Running a business takes a lot of time, and he never expected it to grow as large as it has. He assumed it would make him a couple hundred bucks and then dissolve, but this was not the case.
He built this business from the ground up, and now, three years later, he owns two different businesses. Kjer bought his food truck during his sophomore year. His two businesses are The Krazy Baker and Krazy J’s Koolers, a lemonade business.
When asked how he efficiently runs a business during high school, Kjer said he doesn’t. He struggles and often stays up as late as 2:00 a.m., but he always finishes the tasks at hand. Despite countless hours and many sleepless nights, Kjer strives because “the people continue to want more and more.”
Known for his delicious cookies, Kjer has baked over 100,000 cookies during his career. He also makes cinnamon rolls, pies, cobblers, cakes, and nearly anything else you can imagine. The recent bird flu and rising costs of all goods have deeply hurt Kjer’s pocket, but he has kept his prices the same.
After high school, Kjer plans on continuing to run these businesses and hopes to improve his skills. He plans to travel worldwide to learn how to make more dishes, increase his production, and take marketing classes.
Some of Kjer’s greatest achievements during his three years in business include winning these categories of Humboldt County Listener’s Choice in 2024: #1 Best Bakery, #1 Best Cookie, and #2 Best Food Truck.
After watching the remarkable growth of his business, Miller feels a deep sense of pride in how far he’s come since starting at such a young age. “I’m excited to watch him graduate this year and see where his future lands him in the next few years. He has high ambitions and hopes, and I wish him luck,” Miller said.
