The pandemic has taken its toll on small businesses across the U.S., and bakery operations are no exception. Thanks to the onslaught of challenges like mandated closures, reduced foot traffic, labor woes, mounting supply costs, and other formidable matters, many have had to significantly tighten their belts or close altogether.

The Cookie Cups is one business that is still plugging along, thanks to some creative thinking and product innovation. To learn more about how the operation changed course to connect with consumers, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery spoke with Nicole Pomije, founder of The Cookie Cups.

Jenni Spinner: Could you please tell us a little bit about how The Cookie Cups got started—including the ‘happy accident’ in the kitchen and the early days?

Nicole Pomije: I have always loved to cook and experiment with recipes and one day, after making a mistake in my home kitchen, The Cookie Cups was born, originally cookies shaped like cupcakes I could sell at local farmer's markets and festivals which led to opening two successful bakery locations. Enter COVID-19 in March 2020—we were forced to temporarily close both locations and had to come up with a way to sustain monetarily to keep the brand alive.

When my husband shared a link to a virtual cooking class, that’s when a lightbulb went off and The Cookie Cup’s first-ever at-home baking experience for kids and families was created: our "COVID pivot."

Inspired by my love for baking and my desire to share the joy of homemade treats, I used my unique skill set and expertise to develop The Cookie Cups Baking Kits, empowering kids and families to create delicious and unique culinary creations at home.

JS: Please talk some more about the bakeries, how COVID-19 impacted the business, and how you pivoted from shuttering the locations to a baking kit line.

NP: At the beginning of COVID-19, we had a successful first bakery location in Wayzata, MN, and a brand-new location that was booming but only six months old in Chanhassen, MN that I built through self-funding with funds selling Cookie Cups. I had about eight or nine employees. When the news of mandatory closures was announced, I really didn’t know how long it was going to last or the potential impact this would have on my small business but after about 30 days at home—I knew we had to figure out a way to keep paying the rent.

My husband and I came up with the idea to turn our bakeries into a shippable product to help sustain the overhead of two bakeries with no foot traffic while keeping our employees employed. Our bakers quickly pivoted with us, to product development experts, sourcing managers, recipe developers, and even social media managers to help us all create the experience our line of products gives our customers today.

What started as two shippable kits: a Unicorn Cookie Cup Making Kit and a Pizza Making Kit has grown over the past few years to 12+ kits with 5+ in development and a full adult cooking kit line on the way for 2024.

JS: What are the benefits of inviting kids to help out in the kitchen?

NP: The benefits of teaching kids to bake and cook early start with Math and Science but also include the life skill of being able to cook for yourself while learning teamwork in the kitchen. Most people learn a lot of these skills in college when they leave home at 18.

JS: Please describe the products you offer, who they’re geared toward, and what sets you apart from other companies that offer similar stuff.

NP: The Cookie Cups Baking and Cooking Kits come with an apron, reusable cooking supplies, and pre-measured ingredients you need along with a chef-crafted recipe to make the specific product in your unique kit. The kids' kits are geared toward kids—but tend to create an experience for the whole family to do together.

Some of our top sellers include our Pizza Making Kit, Rainbow Ravioli Making Kit, Pretzel Making Kit, Caramel Roll Making Kit, and new Lollipop Making Kit.

What sets us apart from other competitors in the space is our full end-to-end baking or cooking experience. We also include 95% of the ingredients right in the box. Other companies include a shopping list.

JS: What do you have planned for the future—I’d love to hear about any new products, new lines, expansion of locations, new distribution avenues, etc.

NP: Currently, we are full force on developing our line of cooking kits for adults. This is tentatively scheduled to launch in early 2024. We are working with a national retail sales rep firm to get our products into large retail.