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Small business owner from Brooklyn Carmen Ladipo, her love for baking began at an early age. "I've always been a lover of sweets as long as I remember," Carmen tells . "In my middle-school years, I was in an class very similar to Home Economics, where we learned how to bake cookies. Once I figured out the capacity to keep my hunger for sweets at my own pace, I had a clear path to take."

It wasn't until a few the years after when Carmen began to earn money out of her love for baking by starting a small batch cookies ecommerce business on the side. "I'd been moving into New York City, and tried to think of ways to be a good friend in my adult years" Carmen says. "I was a member of the local climbing gym and brought cookies to members and the other climbers - in fact, it was an effective way to make acquaintances." After having been "fervently inspired" many times to sell her cookies, Carmen took advantage of her time off between jobs to sign up her own business for food in Brooklyn.

"It started as an excuse to be paid to bake cakes for my local customers occasionally," Carmen jokes. "But within the past five years, Carmen's Cookies has blossomed into an ecommerce website that allows me to ship cookies across the nation for friends and strangers alike."

We spoke with Carmen about her approach to balancing the the environmental and social impact of her firm as well as the method she uses to manage this single-woman operation with her many other obligations, as well as the tools that help Carmen's Cookies operate effortlessly.

Local community development and social impact

People who visit the website of Carmen's Cookies and social media will be greeted immediately by the warm greeting from Carmen's brand. This includes the slogan "Providing happiness for your connection." Carmen's offerings include the newest seasonal flavors, such as matcha lemon. There are also traditional flavors like the chocolate chip made of brown butter along with the orange clove. Just a brief glance at the reviews to see how much happiness these cookies bring everyone.

From the beginning, it was clear that Carmen's Cookies has been about more than selling cookies. "I consider that food industry owners are responsible to the environment and the communities they work with to think about the impact they can have on their local communities," Carmen says.

"There are a myriad of resources used in the production and selling of food products which require attention and consideration so that they do minimal harm to the planet. This is why I consider where my ingredients are coming from, as well as what producers have a view of their personal social and ecological impacts." Carmen is transparent in her blog about the sources she relies on to source her ingredients. It even offers a interactive option to determine the source of the baking chocolate she gets from.

However, her commitment doesn't end at that stage. "It's crucial for me to figure out ways of supporting the efforts to guarantee food justice in the greater Brooklyn neighborhood," Carmen says.

"Every year, I select one which is working directly with its local community to empower economic development and sustainable food production. I donate a portion of annual proceeds for these groups because I want Carmen's Cookies to make an contribution to the communities it is based in." Customers are able to visit the website of the company's About page to see where Carmen has donated portions of its sales.

"As for the Carmen's Cookies community," Carmen adds, "it's been moving to see customers come together in supporting different causes over the years. The ability to facilitate the donation of hundreds of dollars to various local and national organizations in support of marginalized and food justice communities through cookies is an important highlight."

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