Voahangy Rasetarinera, the owner of The Giving Pies located in San Jose's Willow Glen, has reported significant financial strain after Tesla dealt her Black-owned bakery with a harsh blow. After initially agreeing to provide 4,000 mini-pies for a Tesla Black History Month event, the electric car giant reneged on their order, leading to a loss of thousands of dollars for Rasetarinera's small business, as reported by NBC Bay Area.

The deal to celebrate Black Heritage Month went sour when Tesla, after asking to double the order and get the pies individually boxed, decided to abruptly cancel. This left Rasetarinera to quickly try and recoup the costs of ingredients and labor, having already turned down three other lucrative catering jobs to accommodate the Tesla contract. In a statement obtained by ABC7 News, Rasetarinera said, "It's people's lives that they are affecting and I want them to know that."

Rasetarinera opened The Giving Pies in 2017 from her home and successfully serviced large companies like Google, Apple, and Adobe. The mishap with Tesla left her out of pocket and led to the bakery owner questioning future business engagements with larger corporations. According to a NBC Bay Area report, although The Giving Pies has a cancellation policy, the inability of Tesla to have completed payment before cancellation complicated the ability for the bakery to enforce that policy.

Following the canceled order, Rasetarinera shared her ordeal on social media, where it garnered significant support from the community. This led to an influx of customers purchasing pies to show their solidarity, as per ABC7 News. She added, "You got to help your community, the people that make your community, the merchants that are in your community." In her recount on Facebook, Rasetarinera detailed how she had to tell her staff "change your plans" and stressed the significant impact such corporate decisions can have on small businesses.

While Tesla has been in contact with Rasetarinera post-cancellation, it is unclear if the company will compensate The Giving Pies for the expenses incurred. Neither Tesla's representative nor Tesla's communications team have publicly responded with specifics regarding compensation for Rasetarinera's lost income and costs.