Alex Wilson says The Hungry Hero Dessert Co. has entered a difficult stretch after a strong start to the year. Wholesale orders have slowed, catering bookings have declined and Wilson has sometimes worked 13 to 14 hours a day to keep the Sherwood shop operating, according to reports from KOIN and The Oregonian/OregonLive.
Wilson and his partner, Ryan Wilson, operate the bakery, which opened its first Sherwood storefront in 2015. Wilson had launched the business in 2010, and the shop has since catered hundreds of weddings, according to KOIN. The bakery's recent slowdown has included weaker foot traffic and reduced wholesale business, The Oregonian/OregonLive reports, as consumers cut back on some discretionary purchases.
Wilson summarized the pressure in a message to KOIN: “Our wholesale orders have slowed dramatically. Catering bookings are down.” The outlet also reported that packaging costs had risen 20% to 30%, alongside higher ingredient expenses.
A Freezer Failure Added to the Strain
The shop also absorbed an unexpected loss when an electrical problem shut off a freezer overnight, spoiling its contents, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Wilson said the business remained current on its bills but had less financial room each week. He has one employee besides himself, and said a social-media manager would cost thousands of dollars a month—an expense he could not take on.
Sherwood's growth and small-business options
The Hungry Hero's experience comes as Sherwood has changed substantially since the bakery opened. According to the City of Sherwood, the community grew from just over 3,000 residents in 1990 to more than 23,000 today. That population figure provides broader context for the city's commercial growth, but does not by itself measure how downtown businesses have performed since 2015. For food businesses seeking assistance beyond customer purchases, Ecotrust says its Pacific Northwest Healthy Food Financing Initiative has offered one-on-one business counseling, project planning and financial-readiness support. Its application period has closed and the funds have been awarded, however, so the program is not currently accepting applications, according to Ecotrust. A separate 2025 example came from Southeast Portland, where Deadshot owner Adam Robinson said the cocktail bar would close at year's end because “sales just aren’t there anymore, while costs keep climbing,” according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. Unlike The Hungry Hero's appeal for more business, that announcement described a planned closure.
Because desserts are discretionary purchases, Wilson said seeking help felt uncomfortable. He ultimately posted on Instagram asking customers to support the bakery, emphasizing that he wanted orders and visits rather than a handout.
Sherwood Answers the Call
The post produced a quick response: calls and orders increased, and customers came into the shop to offer encouragement, The Oregonian/OregonLive reports. Wilson said some customers apologized and told him they would make a greater effort to return.
Wilson asked customers who were able to visit the shop to do so, and framed the moment as proof of something bigger than his own bottom line. “If you take care of small businesses, they will give back to the community tenfold,” he told KOIN. The Hungry Hero has long supported community causes and local events, and Wilson said he fulfills as many donation requests as he can — a pattern that fits a business he has also used to advocate for the queer community and raise money for groups such as the Q Center and the Cascade AIDS Project, according to Eater Portland.
Sherwood's Business Community Rallies Together
The response places Wilson's appeal within a broader pattern of Oregon food businesses seeking public support during a period of weak sales and rising operating costs. Sherwood business owners are described as participating in one another's events and maintaining a community-focused commercial network.
Recent examples have included public appeals from Portland-area food businesses, but their outcomes have differed. Higgins, a longtime downtown Portland restaurant, said in July 2025 that it was close to shutting down because of slow downtown recovery, high office vacancies, reduced business travel and fewer arts and culture events, according to OregonLive.
Wilson's public profile extends beyond Sherwood. He won an episode of Netflix's “Sugar Rush: Christmas” in 2020, and his desserts have appeared at Broobee Cafe in Portland's Pearl District as part of an effort to help revitalize the downtown area, according to KGW.
