From the Atlanta Journal Constitution
Consistency is key
Barbara O’Neill churns out hundreds of hand-sized confections every day at her Decatur Georgia baking business, the Cookie Studio.
O’Neill began the business in her home four years ago and moved to her current location two years back.
“I find a recipe and tweak it, or go on the Internet and get something and make additions to it to make it my own,” O’Neill said.
She’s currently updating the company’s Web site, thecookiestudio.net, to make it more user-friendly.
She has some sage advice for other folks who like to cook and would like to start a similar venture.
“Be sure you have enough time and money to commit to it,” she said.
“And you have to have a product that is very consistent. We have a lot of systems here to make sure things get done. You have to be organized, or you will not be able to make it.”
O’Neill said she and her husband, Jimmy (he helps sell cookies on weekends at a local farmer’s market), have sunk about $55,000 into the business so far.
“We’ve been able to pay our bills for the last two years, and we’ve put a lot of money back into the business,” she said.
“We hope to start actually making a profit next year.”
You also need to be in shape. O’Neill said she was stunned at the physical demands of the job.
“This is a very physical business,” said the 59-year-old, who stands 5’4” and weighs 118 pounds. “You’re lifting 50-pound bags of flour all day.”
via Cookie business gives shelter a lift | ajc.com.
Great article on how the internet is fueling bakery success. The story of Hot Blondies is particularly enlightening because they have started a bakery business with $20,000. For New York Standards that is nothing.
Friends were constantly telling Lorin Rokoff to turn her baking hobby into a career. In April 2008, she did, launching Hot Blondies Bakery with co-worker Laura Paterson. The catch: Hot Blondies’ only store is online.
Discouraged by high rents and a slowdown in consumer spending, Hot Blondies is one of several fledgling bakeries to test the waters with e-commerce before settling on a brick-and-mortar shop. By taking advantage of social networking to generate buzz, and jumping on partnerships to grow their customer bases, small bakeries are bootstrapping their way to big sales.
Ms. Rokoff, 31, and Ms. Paterson, 34, launched Hot Blondies with about $20,000 from their respective savings accounts. The duo filled initial orders from Ms. Paterson’s Manhattan apartment and eventually began renting commercial kitchen space in the city. In May, they signed a lease for their own kitchen in the Flatiron district.
“People keep saying now’s the time to get a retail space,” says Ms. Paterson. “But things are going well right now; we’re handling our costs. We’re just not ready to get into that yet.”
The two hope to open a store eventually. In the meantime, they’ve had little trouble getting brownies out the door. Trend-tracking e-newsletter DailyCandy spotlighted Hot Blondies in the bakery’s first week, and the ladies snagged a vendor spot at the Brooklyn Flea, an outdoor market. They also developed followings on Facebook and Twitter.
Hot Blondies’ products are sold at Manhattan’s The Bean coffee shops, and Ms. Rokoff and Ms. Paterson have deals with wholesalers, caterers and even a local cruise line. Last month, they signed a three-year contract with Singapore-based Gill Capital to provide upwards of 5,000 brownies a month for sale at the company’s Dubai candy store, Candylicious.
[From Startup bakeries cook up online strategies - Crain's New York Business]
October 7, 2009 Comments Off
Mashable |
![]() Food vendors have put social media to some incredibly innovative uses in order to better locate and connect with their key demographic. The Albion Cafe in London, for example, uses Twitter ( ) to automatically alert customers when fresh baked goods have just come out of their ovens. Using a specially built box called BakerTweet, the people at Albion are able to automatically update Twitter any time something new comes out of their ovens. The result is that their customers know exactly when the freshest cookies and scones are available for sale. BakerTweet is a clever way to use social media to connect with customers on a new level and get them more interested in coming into the shop to purchase food.
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Sweet deal for cookie businessNewsChannel 9 WSYRLater this month, Corso's Cookies' cookie bouquets will be featured in 26 Vera Bradley retail stores nationwide. For founder Tina Corso Hess, knowing that …
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