When I started Gringuita Cookies in the summer of 2020, I had no idea what I was doing. I had never taken a business class in my life, had only recently returned to the US from Uruguay, where I had been living the previous two years, and didn't have the faintest idea of what industry I was entering (what the heck is CPG?).
I had one goal, two words: Whole Foods.
I might have been lacking knowledge, connections, and financial backing, but I did have experience selling my gourmet cookies for about a year while living in Montevideo (capital of Uruguay, stay with me people). I figured it'd be easier to start a business in English, my native language, than what I had been doing, which was marketing the cookies in Spanish, not my native language. Also, I was stuck in the US because, well, Covid. (Contrary to popular belief, I was not planning on leaving Uruguay, but came back to quarantine with my family for what I thought would be a couple of weeks. That clearly did not work out for me.)
So how did I go from ground zero with no resources to landing my product on my dream retailer's shelves in under four years?
-started with $3k (enough for rent in a shared commissary kitchen, some supplies, and ingredients). I only reinvested profit for the first ~3 years.
-mixed over 4,000lbs of dough with my two hands before getting access to a commercial mixer
-moved from the shared commissary to a catering company's kitchen, then to a bakery, where I was able to use their bakery equipment after hours.
-joined every farmers market. Some weeks I popped up at 6 markets, rain or shine (emphasis on the rain). Sometimes there were two thousand people in attendance. Sometimes there were just two.
-went from labeling my packaging with a Sharpie, to using colorful stickers, to the printed packaging you see today (I drew my logo, and the photos were taken with my right hand while I was holding the cookie in my left hand)
-cold called the best gourmet markets in South Florida and started distributing to them myself.
-received a small loan through Quickbooks and moved into my own commercial kitchen *sigh of relief*
-was selected to be part of WFM's Local and Emerging Accelerator Program (LEAP). Over a thousand brands applied, only 10 were selected. (!!!)
-passed my first SQF audit without hiring a consultant
-onboarded with GFI, my first national distributor, and delivered two pallets, almost 1500lbs of dough
-received my first equity investment upon completion of LEAP
-sold out of each SKU in the Whole Foods in Palm Beach Gardens, which just so happens to be a few minutes down the road from my very first pop up back in the summer of 2020.
You know the quote, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right”? I’d like to change that to, “If you think you can, you’ll try.” Whether this will be a success story or not, it sure has made my life more interesting. Thank you to everyone who has helped, supported, and encouraged me along the way.
It's official! Gringuita Cookies bake-from-frozen dough is now available in 17 Whole Foods Market stores across South Florida!!! Run, don't walk, and pick up your favorite gourmet cookies in the frozen dessert section. THIS IS EXCITING!
