We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dawn Estrada a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Dawn thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
We believe in knowing where your food comes from which is why sustainability and giving back to our community is an important core value we have as a small business. We love working closely with the farmers and local makers who produce our raw ingredients allowing us to provide the freshest, sustainable and most scrumptious desserts for our clients. Local and small businesses are the backbone of our community, and our mission to support and give back is the best way we know how.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Growing up, both my grandmothers had their own successful businesses. And I have always known it was in my DNA being an entrepreneur. But for quite some time, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Fast forward to 2010, I got a job at a local ice cream store. I worked my way up and I was able to learn a lot about running a business, managing your own employees, creating menus, doing social media – you name it, I was able to do it and learn so much from them! The more that I was soaking information the more that I was dreaming about having my own business.
Enter 2020! January of 2020, I injured myself at work and I had to take time off. During this break was when my husband Ace encouraged me even more to start my own business. After a few months of processing and thinking “what do I really want?” I knew I wanted to have something for myself even though I wasn’t able to finish college.
With not much of a plan I decided to take a leap of faith and start my own business! All I knew was how much I love working with food and being creative.
When I decided to launch Cake Jars after leaving my job I didn’t want to be another cake person. I wanted to create a sweet scrumptious experience for everyone to enjoy while being aware about everything that comes with eating dessert. As a mom, I was more conscious about giving my kids sugar. So when I started Cake Jars I wanted to focus on using nothing but quality organic ingredients while being environmentally conscious. As a small business we love highlighting giving back to the community and local charities who share the same values as us. I try to practice and incorporate the same values I have as a mom and as a small business owner.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
For the past 10 years I have worked and loved making cakes.. ice cream cake that is. I was pushed to create ice cream cakes that were bigger than my imagination – I loved every minute of it!
But during the pandemic, I wanted more! I wanted something better for my family, for my kid’s future. With my husband always encouraging me to start my own thing, I decided to take a leap of faith. I wanted to continue and expand my love and passion for food. I wanted to create an experience, something that is sustainable and can be enjoyed anytime anywhere. I’ve thought about all my experiences when eating and serving a cake. From the left over and waste, to how short the shelf life of a cake is in my fridge – that’s when I came up with the idea of putting them in glass jars!
They’re the perfect portion that everyone can enjoy at their own pace, and the bonus part is that you can maximize freshness and quality of the cake while simultaneously minimizing waste. I got in the kitchen and started baking flavors that I feel like anyone would love. I created sample batches for my family and friends to try and that same weekend I was receiving multiple orders for those that wanted more for themselves, and for others who wanted to try.
Next thing I knew, Cake Jars was born!!! We were fulfilling orders for baby showers, birthday parties, bridal shower favors, etc. Before I could even imagine, opportunities were knocking on our door!!
Nowadays, you can find Cake Jars at your local Farmer’s Markets, food festivals, pop ups and at your nearest local stores. And if you are nowhere near the TriState area, you can get your Cake Jars as we offer nationwide shipping.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
For the past 2.5 years that I have had Cake Jars while social media has been an excellent tool for us, the best tool is word of mouth. Whenever we attend markets, pop ups and festivals our customers would always mention that someone had told them about us and they had to come try it for themselves or someone had brought the jars to them, loved it and they have to have more. Another tool that has helped us grow an organic clientele is believing and staying true to ourselves and our values as a small business. When our customers come and hear our story, we become relatable to them. It becomes more than just a business transaction – every time a customer picks up a Cake Jars they not only get a cake, they get a story, they feel the love and care that I put in each jar that we create. I am always and forever grateful to our Cake Jars family for the love, support and for believing in my dreams!
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@nycmuncher