Launching christine's cookie co
The following post is the written version of the featured video.
Two months have already passed since my last update on our small business, but if you didn't know, my husband and I are in the process of starting a cookie company called Christine's Cookie Co! I thought I'd share a quick update as we're in the process of launching next week!
Though this year has been rocky in many areas, one thing I'm incredibly grateful for is the time I've gotten to spend with Peter and Cooper at home. Quarantine allowed us to have more family time to start this passion project together. Through the past few months, though we've had our fair share of disagreements, we've appreciated each other's drive, talents, and working abilities. I couldn't be more proud of Peter and his ability to take on new tasks such as baking cookies, which I usually do. He's becoming an oven expert and is learning the art of making cookie dough, something I never thought I'd live to see.
We've been working on getting all the paperwork completed to operate legally as a business and figuring out details such as testing our packaging and finalizing each recipe. This past month, we were able to ship out seven packages of our cookies to family and friends in California and out of state, which was such a fun experience, similar to when you send a care package or gift to a friend far away. We found ourselves working late in the evenings to figure out our ordering system, but are happy to announce that the cookies survived in shipment, even in plastic-free packaging!
Staying true to our values as a business has been one of the biggest hurdles - from packing cookies without plastic to keeping our ingredients organic, we know that each step in a more sustainable direction usually translates to higher costs. Unfortunately, we know that we'll be losing money to start, as the cost to produce just a few cookies doesn't pay off in the long run, but we're praying and taking it step by step to see where God takes us.
At the end of the day, I am reminded to have fun through this process, even though starting a business is no small matter. I can continue to chase after success in this world, but no matter what, the love of money will always leave me empty. As it says in 1 Timothy 6, "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil."
Paul's letter to Timothy concludes with these warnings and calls to action, including the importance of fleeing from the love of money. Instead, we're called to chase after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. There's nothing wrong with a flourishing business, but I know that the love of money can skew our vision and heart behind our cookies. I'm praying that I would be continually reminded of all I have to be grateful for in this experience and not allow the finances to take over my joy when baking for others!
So enough talking on my end, here's some info on how you can order our cookies!
From now until November 6th at 12 PM PST, you can put in an order on our website for our first batch, which will be available on Saturday, November 7th, for local pickup and delivery. For those not in the area, your orders will be baked and shipped out on Monday, November 9th. Of course, the cookies are best fresh out of the oven, and you'll get that experience by doing local pickup. However, we hope the cookies are still delicious by the time they arrive at your doorstep if you choose shipment, and are great if you pop them into the oven to reheat for a few minutes!
Be sure to check the FAQ page on the website, linked below, for answers to additional questions, and of course, if you'd like to stay tuned for updates, be sure to sign up for our newsletter through our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram. We plan to do two baking sessions in November and another two in December to start getting used to our operations, which will also be perfect as we approach the holiday season. Our vegan recipe should also be launching soon, so please stay tuned!
With that, we genuinely appreciate your support, whether it's through a purchase or by sharing our website with family and friends! And of course, if the circumstances allow it, I'd love to meet some of you at our cookie shop in the future! I'm buckling up for this next chapter of Christine's Cookie Co. cause I know it's going to be a bumpy ride, but I'm excited to see how God leads us and what we'll learn through the next few months of this venture.
