We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Hattenberger. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.

Andrea, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I have baked my whole life but began baking cinnamon rolls out of boredom during the pandemic in 2020. I gave them away and they were well received. A friend invited me to do a pop-up shop at her location and that went really well. I looked at my husband and said “well, I think this is a thing!” I then began the process of becoming food cottage certified in Arizona and it’s been a constant journey of learning, growth, and adaptation since.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Although I had been baking my whole life, I, like many, started baking even more during the pandemic. I made cinnamon rolls for friends and I started getting requests for them. It wasn’t long before I realized I had accidentally started a business! I got all the proper paperwork completed and set to making a weekly menu. One of the holiday items I offered were DIY cookie kits. I began playing with the leftovers and it wasn’t long before I was hooked! I watched every cookie decorating video and tutorial I could find. I was certainly not a natural but worked hard to hone my skills.
Sugar cookies are now the primary part of my business and they are so much more than cookies. They are the edible art that makes your event so special. I am very open with my customers that I am not the cheapest cookier in town, but I am absolutely someone you can trust to provide the highest quality.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Happy customers! I’m a one-woman show and that means I can’t mass-produce food like Walmart or Costco. Since the amount of orders I can take on is limited, referrals and returning customers mostly fill my schedule.
If you support a small business, never underestimate the power of sharing a post or recommendation!

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I built my own website via squaresite, but that’s not how I started. I began by simply taking orders on Facebook. Folks would leave a comment or send me a message and I would write down their order. As I grew, I quickly saw this would not be sufficient for the long term. I needed a safer way to accept transactions and better record keeping. I also appreciate the way a website presents my business to prospective clients. There are so many benefits to a well-made website and I’m so glad I finally took the plunge.

Contact Info:

• Website: HattenBatter.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/hattenbatter
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HattenBatter