Opening our own cookie business
The following post is the written version of the featured video.
About a year has passed since I started creating monthly recap vlogs, a way to share what's going on in my life beyond other videos. It's crazy to see how much has changed within a year, from Peter and I living with my parents last summer, to moving into our new apartment and figuring out my work situation in the fall, to the year 2020, a season of staying indoors.
We always seem to be trying something new in this family, and as we head into our fifth month of quarantine, Peter and I are shaking things up and moving along with a new small business. I've shared this a few times in previous posts and videos, but if you're not caught up yet, we're in the process of starting Christine's Cookie Co., a small bakery delivering cookies handcrafted with organic, local ingredients in the South Bay Area.
So why the sudden urge to start a business?
Well, as Peter and I continue to bump heads at home, I started thinking that with this time together, we could use it to do something meaningful as a family. Peter has always been one to talk about starting a small business, especially as he's been working a corporate job ever since we graduated, but he's the more spontaneous of the two of us. And ever since we've dated, we've tossed ideas around, from opening a zero waste grocery store to a handmade dumpling restaurant, and other things, but we always landed back on my cookies.
I grew up teaching myself to bake simple things when I was little, mostly pre-made mixes out of a box. However, it was in high school that I developed a curiosity to bake from scratch, as I saw that it was a way to bring friends and family together. Baking grew with me as I entered into college, and you would find me baking regularly for friends, church, fundraisers, and more. After graduating and heading into my first corporate job, I would bake every so often, but not as much as I did before. It was tough juggling work, and the start of this blog, and my mental health wasn't at its best state. But upon quitting my job in 2018, I dove back into baking, which got me back on my feet in the kitchen. One of my local subscribers also kindly gifted me a stand mixer that she wasn't using, and it encouraged me to bake a lot more often for friends and family. If you're watching this, thank you so much!
Cookies have always been my favorite dessert to bake and to eat - especially the classic chocolate chip cookie. I loved trying to figure out the perfect recipe ever since I was a teenager and taught myself to understand the science behind baking. I began to figure out how certain ingredients worked, and slowly but surely, I applied new techniques to enhance the flavor and texture of my ideal cookie. My recipe has always been a work in progress, but after deciding to explore this business idea a few months ago, we've been doing much more deliberate testing, probably at least a dozen different ingredient tests and counting for the past two months!
As much as I love being an online content creator, there's something about being in touch with your local community that hits home. I've always enjoyed exploring downtown areas, local coffee shops, tea joints and bakeries, and the thought of maybe, just maybe opening my own space someday for the community to enjoy excites me quite a bit! I hope that I can also make something as simple as a cookie more sustainable, by tapping into my local food movement and developing partnerships with local, organic producers. Though I have a passion for minimalism and zero waste, I'm excited to learn more about sustainable farming and food production and want to share with customers where their cookie is coming from, and how we're challenging the mainstream food industry.
Yet, in light of all the brainstorming and ideation, I've done my best to slow down by reflecting on Scripture. It was quite timely as I landed in the book of Colossians this past month, and read this particular passage in chapter three, which is a reminder of why I do the work I'm doing with this short life I have been given on this earth:
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him...Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord you are serving." - Colossians 3: 17, 23-24
Even if I build a great business or provide the community with a delicious cookie, I know that it will be nothing if I don't remember the real meaning behind the work that I do - to show the love of Christ to others and to do all things as Christ would. Instead of putting earthly desires such as greed and pride first, or allowing fear and obligation to drive my motivations, I can look towards Christ because He is my reward. I can learn to love all my work, through the highs and lows, whatever the job may be, because He is the one who provided these opportunities for me. And I will work heartily in all that I do, because I serve a God who loves me, and delights in my passions.
So this past weekend was our first test run at a commercial test kitchen for Christine's Cookie Co. We're excited to be moving forward from our home kitchen to making cookies commercially available for customers, and are trying to find the right place to call home for the next few months! This first run was a bit tricky, as baking in a commercial oven is different than baking in an oven from home, but we came out with 70 cookies for a group of our friends that weekend and were pleased to be delivering them! As we settle into regular operations locally, we also hope to have our cookies available for shipping throughout the United States, so do stay tuned as we provide updates! We appreciate everyone's kind words and support so far and are praying that the start of this journey would be purposeful, and a blessing to those who get a chance to eat one of our cookies!