Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Cole.
Hi Matt, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always enjoyed good food. I love the restaurant scene and value unique dishes that you cannot find just anywhere. I started cooking and baking more when I had a family of my own. I like to tweak recipes, mess with flavors and have always enjoyed baking treats for my wife and kids.
I always loved baking Christmas cookies with my mom growing up and wanted to have those same memories with my children. Every year, I try to make my Christmas cookies more unique or improve on what recipes or styles I was sharing each year. But, cookies aren’t just for Christmas, and would often make my signature chocolate chip cookie for parties and events. So many people raved about my cookie that I decided 2022 to submit it to the MN State Fair. I didn’t get a top 5 placement but was in the top 25 submissions for traditional chocolate chip cookies. The idea of more people liking my cookies gave me the confidence to start to branch out with new cookie flavors.
I started making flavors that reminded me of the treats of my childhood. Instead of doing a personal size cookie, I made them a larger size so people could share with others. As friends and family started raving over my recipes, my wife and I decided we were going to turn my baking hobby into a small business. Our first idea was to get a booth at the local farmer’s market. However, I didn’t want to wait until Summer to start selling, so we opted to sell informally online. Within a month, orders were coming in pretty consistently and continued to grow.
We thought with the upcoming farmer’s market approaching we would confirm our business name and status, and Oh, Yeah! Cookie Company was born. We are looking forward to continuing our growth in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and establishing our name as a go-to name for gourmet cookies.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Creating a small business is something that takes a lot of time. I am a busy dad and husband with a full-time job, am enrolled in higher education, and am an active member of my community.
Taking on the additional role of a small business owner, I had to be creative with my time and make sure I was communicating and partnering with my wife to make sure we were successful with our launch of Oh, Yeah! Cookie Company.
There have been many long nights and early mornings, fulfilling orders, driving deliveries, and making sure our new customer base was satisfied. Our whole family has embraced this new opportunity and working hard and working together is making it all possible.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My main job is as a Product Analyst. I work for a large health insurance company and I am in charge of creating a digital application that allows a healthcare provider facility to be credentialed and contracted seamlessly in one spot using automation.
My other job is as a Home Baker that specializes in cookies. I was in the restaurant business for over 15 years and I loved preparing food for others to enjoy. I specialize in cookies and cookies that bring back childhood memories.
Some of the cookies I have made are Cosmic Brownie, Circus Animal, Orange Creamsicle, Strawberry Shortcake, and Dirt ‘n’ Worms. I make them in small batches with quality ingredients. I always strive to make a quality product that is unique and memorable. Each cookie I make is special and unique and can’t be found in any store.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was your typical kid. I loved playing and biking outside with the neighbor kids. I went up north a lot with my family to the Whitefish Chain of Lakes and enjoyed swimming and fishing. In my teen years, I struggled to find my place and wanted to do things my way. This tended to get me into more trouble than I would have liked.
I was always independent and self-sufficient and later found that I could use those qualities to be more driven and support others in a leadership role, which later led to my work as a manager in the restaurant business. I always wanted to do well, be competitive, and wanted to be successful. Those qualities have helped me to never give up and take risks, which has helped me with my personal and professional endeavors.
Pricing:
- $5.00 a Cookie
- $25 a Half Dozen
- $50 a Full Dozen
Contact Info:
- Website: https://forms.gle/AsZZwuuLf5JxNR978
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/da.smoking.cole?igshid=MTIzZWQxMDU=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092175355300&mibextid=LQQJ4d
