We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amy Lawlor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Amy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

When I started my business, I knew that I wanted to offer people as many awesome, gluten free options as I could. My partner has a gluten sensitivity- so when we would go to bakeries or grocery stores there were only a few options and those options were not only more expensive, they didn’t taste good and the items were significantly smaller in size. Last year was my first year of business and before customers even knew who I was they would thank me for being there with so many safe options available for them. I only do gluten free baking; which means my baked goods are safe for people who have celiacs disease. People began telling me that they couldn’t believe my cookies were gluten free because they were so soft and delicious, even people who were not gluten free began buying from me because they said my cookies were the best cookies in town.

Amy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have loved baking since I was a child, I remember my mom buying me baking magazines and how I always tried to recreate what was on the cover no matter how difficult or intricate the cake or baked good was. I always baked cookies as gifts for my friends and family during the holidays. If it was my birthday or a family members birthday I wanted to make them a cake with whatever flavor they wanted, whether it be chai latte, hummingbird cake, or cookies and cream! For years I brought desserts to the thrift store I volunteer at. The ladies there always told me that I “missed [my] calling” and should have been a baker. But the person who really encouraged and inspired me to make this passion of mine a reality, was my partner LJ. I met LJ 8 years ago and when I found out he couldn’t have gluten, I decided to change my baking to something he could enjoy too. He made me realize how hard it was to find good gluten free foods, and he kept telling me that other people would love my baking and that this could be a career for me. I heavily researched cottage food laws in Maryland, joined home baking business Facebook groups to see what worked for other people and got some amazing advice on how to set up my farmers market booth! I sold out at my first market and was amazed at how many people needed something that I could provide for them. Instead of having one or two options to choose from- I gave them a dozen. I have customers who get food for their loved ones or friends that can’t have gluten, people who buy cookies from me to bring to parties where they have a gluten free friend so they can have a safe dessert to enjoy! I make 10 different types of cookies, brownies, crumble bars, almond pastries, sandwich bread, rolls, and I want to
keep adding to that list!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I started my business with very little capital. I still work as a private healthcare provider and do house cleaning. I used my primary job to pay for ingredients and packaging, LJ designed my logo, banner, business cards and labels (which we print from home). I was lucky enough to have a supportive family who purchased two folding tables, my business banner, my original case that displayed my cookies in, and LJ’s dad loaned me a tent to use at the markets. I knew that I could start small because I only had a few hundred dollars to start my business!

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I make all of the baked goods by myself, since I am making something that has to be safe for people with allergies, I have to make sure that all of my ingredients are certified gluten free. I am a self taught baker, so most of the recipes I use are ones that I’ve been using for over a decade. I have really high standards for all of my products so some days I spend up to 15 hours straight in the kitchen making sure my cookies come out the perfect shape and consistency.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amysawesomeglutenfree?igsh=MXNndXhpc3ZuamNweQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/jNtJ392azUb59dCd/?mibextid=LQQJ4d