#69 The World Simply Can’t Have Too Many Chocolate Chip Cookies - Andrea Ludlow, Showstopper Cookies

She does one thing, one thing only, and she just crushes it. Or should we say bakes it. Andrea Ludlow is a one-product startup founder and Showstopper Cookies is her company. She has always loved chocolate chip cookies but wanted to make only the best, real showstoppers. Her journey is a typical entrepreneur's one. She owned and ran a school for 18 years and decided recently that she needed a change. Then COVID hit and as the neighborhood baker, she was always asked to bake a pie or a cake with the added, "and be sure to include some of your cookies!". People wanted dough or cookies for gifts and Andrea noticed the people who took dough and baked it had the cookies turn out differently than hers. Then she did a fundraiser for an event and raised over $700 in a bake sale and figured she had a business here. She has a strong, disciplined sales structure as you can see on her website. Cookies are all 3 oz. and because they are hand baked, will be different in size and shape, which of course sings of craftsmanship. And she explains how her process works: Dough is made and refrigerated for 48 hours on Fridays and Sundays. Baking is on Sundays and Tuesdays. You will probably wait 4 days to get your order. This is real anticipation of the marketplace and Andrea is building a following that will wait in line for a hand made quality product. Smart marketing so far. But now the challenge; going from the customer-direct, from the kitchen production to ramping up volume and sales, without losing the magic. And this is where our hosts help Andrea and all listeners of the show. Sarah Marshall tells Andrea she needs to decide: Grow a team with all the added expense and headaches? Keep selling directly to consumers and stay small? Sarah Masoni chimes in with the question: Since people who buy your dough have the cookies turn out differently - why? That's a production question that will need to be addressed if Andrea wants to go commercial. Also, what temperature in the freezer and for how long will the dough need to be refrigerated in large volume? There are tricks and tips for extending the cookie life if Andrea wants to go into stores. But take a look at Andrea's website. You can see in the FAQs that she is on a journey and very open about constantly experimenting about how she delivers these incredible treats from the best ingredients. And if you look at her picture, you see someone who absolutely enjoys what they are doing, enjoys the journey and will figure it out.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

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Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

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Thank you for listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast.

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Producer: Sarah Marshall of The Joy of Creation Production House
Audio engineer, mixer, and podcast editor: Haley Bowers
Show logo design: Anton Kimball of Kimball Design
Production Coordinators: Dave Drusky