Silicon Valley bakery claims it lost $16k after Tesla placed order for 4,000 pies to ‘celebrate Black History Month’ then ‘canceled at the last minute’

A Silicon Valley baker says she is reconsidering her business policies after preparing a Tesla order for 4,000 mini pies that the company “canceled at the last minute.”

The Giving Pies in San Jose, California, are used to working with major companies such as Meta, Google, Apple and Amazon.

However, a recent order from Tesla for 4,000 cakes cost the local bakery around $16,000 after the clean energy company allegedly suddenly canceled the order at the last minute.

The thousands of mini pies, which cost about $3-$4 each, were believed to have been ordered for a Tesla event commemorating Black History Month.

Voahangy Rasetarinera owns the bakery near Willow Glen and says she suffered a major blow after the huge cake order caused her to turn down other requests, overcommit on ingredients and work around the clock with her employees to fulfill the order. complete.

The Giving Pies in San Jose, California, are used to working with major companies such as Meta, Google, Apple and Amazon (photo: bakery owner Voahangy Rasetarinera)

A recent order from Tesla for 4,000 pies cost the local bakery about $16,000 after the clean energy company allegedly suddenly canceled the order at the last minute

Voahangy Rasetarinera says she suffered a major blow after the huge cake order caused her to turn down other requests, spend on ingredients and work around the clock with her employees to complete the order

“To fulfill the order, I had turned down other Black History Month catering requests, purchased supplies, and prepared for a demanding production schedule,” Rasetarinera explained.

Tesla contacted the local bakery on Valentine’s Day to place an order for 2,000 mini cakes to be delivered the following Tuesday and Thursday – which Rasetarinera says is short notice for the bakery.

In a Facebook post titled “How Tesla’s actions are hurting my small Black women-owned business,” Rasetarinera explained the series of events.

The post detailed how the payment didn’t go through, which initially caused concern.

Despite the lack of payment, Laura from Tesla contacted the bakery again to apologize for the delay and request that the order be doubled to 4,000 cakes, assuring the bakery that ‘costs were not an issue’ .

Tesla contacted the locally beloved bakery on Valentine’s Day to place the order for 2,000 mini cakes to be delivered the following Tuesday and Thursday (Image: Tesla CEO Elon Musk)

Tesla contacted the bakery again to apologize for the delay in payment and requested that the order be doubled to 4,000 cakes, assuring the bakery that ‘costs were not an issue’

“To fulfill the order, I had turned down other Black History Month catering requests, purchased supplies, and prepared for a demanding production schedule,” Rasetarinera explained.

Rasetarinera said her hopes were “shattered” when Laura “casually” texted her to say Tesla no longer needed the cakes after she had already purchased the supplies and prepared for the order.

“Despite the late hour and short notice, I consulted with my staff, who assured me that they could manage the extended order,” the message describes.

Rasetarinera said her hopes were “shattered” when Laura “casually” texted her to say Tesla no longer needed the cakes after she had already purchased the supplies and prepared for the order.

“This abrupt turnaround left me reeling as I realized the impact on my small business,” the business owner said.

“I had invested time, resources and effort based on Tesla’s guarantees, but was left alone.”

After sending Laura a heartfelt message expressing her disappointment, Rasetarinera said her response was trying to “shift the blame to upper management.”

“It was clear to me that Tesla’s corporate culture prioritized convenience over responsibility, disregarding the livelihoods of small business owners like me,” Rasetarinera wrote on the company’s Facebook page.