We recently connected with Lisa Haggstrom and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I was at a crossroads in my career path. I had to make more money at my home business, at the time quilting, or go back to working for someone else. I knew the quilt business was not sustainable long term due to the time involved for each project.

Baking for over 40 years, it made sense to do something I truly loved. I had started decorating “fancy” sugar cookies in 2008 before it was as big as it is now for my son’s sports teams. Finding tutorials and information was quite the challenge back then. I kept practicing and taking classes, as I found them, and before long I was ready to share with the community. In 2015, Minnesota passed the Cottage Food Law and Cookies and More by Lisa opened.

At the time, there were very few cookie decorators in my area. Business took off and steadily grew over the next several years. I closed my quilt business to devote full-time to Cookies and More.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Cookies and More by Lisa is a custom, made-to-order Minnesota Cottage Home Bakery specializing in decorated cookies, home-style bars and cookies, cocoa bombs, potica and more.

I am a former corporate restaurant training manager (19 years), bakery manager (10 years) and income tax preparer (2 seasons was enough for me). Though I had very successful careers, it was lacking the creative outlet I needed. I thought I could utilize my skills as a crafter and organization as a manager while doing what I loved most…creating delicious and beautiful cookies and pastries.

I come from a long line of excellent bakers and have been baking as long as I can remember. I am, mostly self-taught, but, I had help from my grandmas, aunties and of course, my mom. In addition to what I have learned throughout the years, I take at least 3 classes a year to develop my skills and learn new techniques. I am a naturally curious gal who is always learning and exploring. Several family recipes have been updated and offered throughout the year along with my own creations and traditional favorites. I specialize in decorated sugar cookies, apple and walnut potica, a Slovenian favorite.

I am required to take advanced food safety, sanitation and proper handling training every 3 years and register yearly with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. A copy of my registration is available for your venue, as needed. I stay current with Minnesota’s advanced food safety regulations. I am also a certified Serv Safe Food Handler. My training as a cooperate trainer comes in handy since I’m one of those “time to lean, time to clean” gals. Cookies and More is also insured.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Our state had a revenue cap of $18,000 for the first 6 years I was in business on baked goods. Throughout that time, I had to come up with non-food items to increase revenue. Many times I thought about hanging up mu apron. Thankfully, I was able to upsell to pretty packaging and take on several quilt projects until finally, Minnesota passed an increase in the revenue allowed for Cottage Food Producers. I’m very happy my family was so supportive during the early years. We are now thriving and continuing to grow.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What you see is what you get with me. In the beginning, it was very important for me to be honest where my skill level was and I never over promised. I think my customers appreciated that. Though I will challenge myself, I will not take on a project that is beyond my skill level. I have never forgotten an order or cancelled last minute. I’ve been fortunate on the latter. I’m told I make the process easy. I am very thorough and leave nothing to chance. At times, I will redirect my customer so they stay on track. Kindness goes a long way and I am flexible when they really need me to be. I appreciate my customers and I think they feel that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cookiesandmorebylisa.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cookiesandmorebylisa/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cookiesandmorebylisa
• Twitter: @cookiesby_lisa

Image Credits
Lisa Haggstrom