How It Began

My parents Don and Norma Vande Walle purchased Mehlberg's Bakery in Shawano, Wisconsin in 1974. While working at the bakery during high school and College, I realized that I would like to make a career in the baking business.

After graduating from college I married my high school sweet heart, Mary, and headed off to the American Institute of Baking, in Manhattan, Kansas. After Graduating, we joined my parents at Mehlberg's Bakery.

In 1985, three of my brothers and my parents were talking of opening a candy store in Appleton, Wisconsin. They thought bakery and ice cream would be a good fit, so we joined up with them. We opened Vande Walle's Candies in 1987.

Mary and I always wanted to have our own bakery and we didn't seem to be getting younger. So in 2001, we opened Uncle Mike's Bake Shoppe in De Pere, Wisconsin.

The customers flocked to the new shop and after 3 years space was tight so we opened another location in Suamico, Wisconsin in 2004. In 2018, we opened our 3rd location on East Mason Street and also opened up a production facility that produces all the bakery for each location. We look forward to continue adding new locations to serve more people our delicious bakery!