We recently connected with Téfarra Echevarria and have shared our conversation below.

Téfarra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?

FarreeMakes Sweet Treats started as a Youtube channel created in June 2021 under the name FarreeMakes. I was working from home at the time and felt it was a great opportunity to explore the content creating process while sharing quick, easy delicious meals with other home cooks. As the holiday season approached, I wanted to film the treats I planned to make for cookie gift boxes for friends and family.

The cookie boxes were well received! So much so that it led to my first order of chocolate truffles. My friend exclaimed that it was her favorite item and wanted to know if I would be interested in making more. I was apprehensive at first because I never thought of selling my treats, but quickly embraced the fact that my treats were worth paying for after receiving more positive feedback. I priced out the truffle order, found cute packaging and shipped it out to my friend. FarreeMakes Sweet Treats had completed its first order.

With encouragement and several taste tests from my family, I continued taking orders and fine tuning what would become my top four treats: Brownies, Pecan Praline Bars, Chocolate Chip cookies and Raspberry Thumbprint cookies. Customers appreciate that my treats are made with quality ingredients and consistently deliver on flavor.

I started FarreeMakes Sweet Treats as a way to share my love of baking with others and bring joy to everyone who receives a sweet treat. My goal as I continue to build this business is to provide treats for all occasions with as natural and flavorful ingredients possible and remind people that it’s okay to treat yourself.

Téfarra, 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 spent most of my childhood watching cooking shows with my mother, noting flavor combinations and different techniques used. Once I was old enough to use the oven, I would try out recipes from a giant cookbook my mother bought at a thrift store containing hundreds of cookie recipes. My family eagerly became taste testers and offered their feedback on improvements that could be made. At one point I was convinced I wanted to pursue a career as a pastry chef, but I ultimately went on to obtain a degree in Psychology.

During late night study sessions, I turned to baking as a comfort and developed my own recipes using the skills learned from the cooking shows using the limited ingredients available at the time. As I entered the workforce post-graduation, I explored another passion- fitness. But I still loved my sweets and found it difficult to find a treat that wasn’t loaded with preservatives or tasted as flavorful as the cookies from the cookbooks which used real butter and sugar. I eventually accepted the fact that no substitution could produce the flavor profile I craved. I realized the issue wasn’t indulging in a sweet treat, but the quality of the ingredients used. I went back to baking with the ingredients I grew up with, European butter, raw cane sugar and pure vanilla extract. I also learned that salt was key when it came to sweets, a little went a long way but it made a big impact on flavor.

As I continued to develop my recipes, I made sure to use quality ingredients and keep the process simple. I was able to produce a batch of cookies in less than 30 minutes without compromising on flavor or nutritional value. It wasn’t until I started FarreeMakes Sweet Treats that I realized how generic the snack industry had become. The treats people enjoyed as children were so packed with sugar and preservatives that there was no uniqueness anymore. The top compliment I receive when someone tastes my treats is that they can taste the flavors of the ingredients used. The treats I make have gone through years of development and are a reflection of a passion that never faded. As cliche as it sounds food made with love just tastes better. FarreeMakes Sweet Treats are made to order with quality ingredients, baked with love and packaged with care.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I was brainstorming the goals for my business, I made the typical mistake of wanting to do everything at once. I wanted to make a website offering everything that I knew how to make. I wanted to be a business that provided custom orders, wholesale orders and retail orders. I expected to create social media content every day to get as many orders possible so I could break even within my first year of business. I realized that I was trying to cram years of business goals in just my first year and setting myself up for disappointment. I had to take a step back and set realistic milestones for myself and the business.

I scaled back the items offered on the website and focused on promoting my core four items: Brownies, Thumbprint cookies, Pecan Bars and Chocolate Chip cookies. My thoughts were that if I could get excitement and a following for these treats, I could build on that and expand treat options in the future. I did research on what it would take to be a wholesale bakery and decided that while the business was still young, I would have to put that goal on the backburner until I had more resources and workspace. I also had to revisit the expectations I set on myself to creating content every day, my job had returned to working in the office full time, which meant I had limited time to create videos and posts. What I opted to do instead for more exposure was to find pop-up events and invest in a table. Not only was I able to do this during my free time, it allowed me to meet potential customers directly and still promote my social media and business website.

I still have several treats I wish to add to the website and want to explore creating wholesale and retail items, but I’ve learned to be patient with the process and excel at each milestone I’ve set before moving on to my next goal. Not only did it make running the business easier to manage, but it also kept me from being overwhelmed.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Participating in pop-up events have been the best source of new clients for FarreeMakes Sweet Treats. I am able to meet customers in person and receive their feedback of my treats in real time plus make sales on the spot. I can also provide my contact information to receive future orders.

I’ve received opportunities to attend other events from people who are searching for vendors and connect with fellow vendors who are looking to collaborate in the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.FarreeMakesTreats.com
• Instagram: @farreemakes
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@farreemakes