How the Cookie Co-op was able to launch a new business with an e-commerce site during Covid
The inspiration for The Cookie Co-op started many years ago when I discovered my passion for baking. I felt cookies were sometimes overlooked in bakeries because of the time-consuming nature of pastry and taking precedence. Fast forward 10 years to the pandemic, and a farmers market application being accepted, and suddenly what started as a bucket-list item for fun, actually opened a doorway for me to self-employment.
With a lot of hard work, sleepless nights, luck and local support, myself and my family were able to establish a fully functional wholesale/retail confectionery business online.
I used social media to take orders for customers and payments, but quickly decided that we needed a website due to growing demand. With the support of the Local Enterprise Office, we launched our website, complete with online shop in August 2022. The LEO’s support came in the form of the Trading Online Voucher which we put towards the overall cost of our website design and launch.
The wholesale business can get quiet in January so it made sense that we should go online to widen our reach. Before the website we might have sold 4 boxes a week. After the website, that went up to orders for 20 boxes a week. So we went from selling cookies in farmers markets in Kilkenny, to delivering next day to Donegal, Cork. We’ve even sent cookies to South Africa. Word of mouth has been really helpful for us. People would try our cookies and then spread the word in real life and on social media.
Around the same time that we launched the website, we were selected to represent Kilkenny at the World Ploughing Championship. It was the perfect opportunity to speak with customers and show it off. We showcased a QR code at our stand and on our business cards, to make accessing the site user-friendly for customers wanting to place orders.
I knew that a digital marketing strategy was something we needed in order to develop our website. Mia is the driving force behind our digital strategy. She truly deserves the term ‘Super-Human Resource’. Ultimately we want to increase the online sales on our website. So we’re looking at search engine optimization, so that people will see us on search engines quicker. Once the business was set up online, it made it easier for me to focus on the creative. I love coming up with new flavours. Currently we have cookie favours like Kinder, Belgian chocolate chip, Galaxy Caramel, Terry’s chocolate orange. I’ll just tinker around, then get Mia and my family to try them out.
We hope to be a household name in a few years. And thanks to digital, we’ve found an audience beyond the farmer’s markets.
Brian Walsh
The Cookie Co-Op
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