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The Brooklyn-based owner of a small business Carmen Ladipo, her passion for baking began early on. "I've been a fan of sweets since the time I can remember," Carmen tells . "In middle school, I attended a class similar to Home Economics, where we were taught how to make cookies. Once I figured out the ability to sustain my sweet tooth in my own way, it was a wrap."
But it wasn't until years after that Carmen began to monetize that passion through a small-batch cookies-related e-commerce company as a side hustle. "I'd recently moved to New York City, and I was trying to figure out the best ways to connect with friends once I became an adult," Carmen says. "I joined the local climbing gym and used to bring snacks for the staff and other climbers--indeed an effective friend-making strategy." After being "fervently incentivised" several times to sell cookies, Carmen took advantage of an extra hour between jobs to sign up her own food business in Brooklyn.
"It honestly started out as an excuse to get paid to bake for local friends at times," Carmen jokes. "But in the past five years, Carmen's Cookies has grown into an online store that has me shipping cookies throughout the United States for strangers as well as friends."
We talked with Carmen about the ways she focuses on the social and environmental impact of her business, how she manages this single-woman business with other tasks and duties, and about the tools that help Carmen's Cookies to run efficiently.
The importance of local communities and the Social impact
Customers who go to the Carmen's Cookie site and on social media will be greeted immediately with the warm and welcoming nature of the brand, including the tagline: "Providing happiness for your closeness." Carmen's offerings include experimental seasonal flavors like the ras el-hanout and matcha lemon. They also have traditional favorites like the brown butter chocolate chip as well as orange clove. It takes only a quick glance through the review of the products on the website to appreciate how much joy these cookies bring to customers across the globe.
From the beginning that Carmen's Cookies has been about more than simply selling cookies. "I feel like food business owners are responsible towards the planet and to their local communities to think about the impact they have on their communities," Carmen says.
"There are a myriad of resources involved in the process of the production and sale of food products that require attention and consideration in order to minimize harm unto the planet. To this end, I stay mindful of where my ingredients are coming from and how their manufacturers have a view of their own impact on the environment and society." Carmen is transparent on her site regarding the sources she uses to source her ingredients. She even includes an interactive way to track where her baking chocolate comes in.
Her commitment to the cause doesn't end here. "It's essential for me to discover ways of supporting the ongoing efforts of food justice across the Brooklyn community," Carmen says.
"Every every year I select an organization working directly with its local community to empower economic development and sustainable food production. I donate a portion of the profits each year to these groups since I wish for Carmen's Cookies to have an effect on the area it has chosen to call home." Customers can always go to the company's About page to learn where Carmen is donating some of its sales.
"As for our Carmen's Cookies community," Carmen adds, "it's felt uplifting to watch people come together to the support of various causes throughout time. Helping facilitate the donation of hundreds of dollars to various local and national organizations that support food justice and the marginalized communities via cookie sales has been a highlight."