COLLETTE’S AMAZING COOKIE
C ollette is like every other successful entrepreneur in most ways. She took an idea and her passion for baking and created a cookie revolution, supplying tens of thousands of homemade cookies and gifts to customers and businesses across the country. Since 2016, Collettey’s Cookies has provided a way for the young businesswoman with Down syndrome to earn her own income and independence, while spreading hope and inspiration to others across the globe. Collette, operating under her childhood nickname of Collettey, needed to find a way to earn her own money after graduating from college and moving to Boston. Collette was consistently turned down from jobs for not being “the right fit,” which only furthered her determination. After years of job interviews and rejections, Collette took matters into her own hands to make her own dough—figuratively and literally! The young businesswoman had been baking since high school and found a passion for developing a unique cookie recipe, eventually named The Amazing Cookie. After taking a batch to a local store owner to try, he immediately placed an order for 50 boxes to sell at his store. Collette’s cookies began to sell out every week, and she became the neighborhood’s “cookie girl.” Collette’s mother, Rosemary Alfredo, is an entrepreneur herself, and she told Collette starting a business requires licensing, logos, insurance and more. With her mom’s help, Collettey’s Cookies hit the ground running, and within a week, that local store was stocked with Collette’s cookies. Collette’s company began to grow, and it was time to hire employees. It was then Collette told her mom she wanted to create jobs for people with disabilities and challenges—which Collette continues to do today! With
the care of a small business owner, Collette takes pride in the attention to detail in every order, completing each box with unique decorations and a card. During the holiday season, the business’s busiest time of year, Collette’s close-knit team decorates their workspace and plays holiday music to get into the Christmas spirit. At the end of every holiday season, the Collettey’s Cookies team celebrates with a large Christmas party in the city, complete with food, karaoke, Secret Santa gifts and more. The team also has a heart-warming tradition of spending December 23 making cookies together for their families rather than customers. The demand for Collettey’s Cookies is high, and the initial volume of orders quickly surpassed everyone’s expectations. In 2016, the company’s first holiday season orders skyrocketed past what any team could bake. Collette apologetically contacted customers, saying treats may not be ready by the holidays, and she could issue refunds if needed. To her surprise, not one customer canceled their order. Everyone wanted a taste of these magical cookies, no matter the wait time! Collette and her team now fulfill holiday orders for over 30,000 cookies in a span of 14 days. Looking toward the future of Collettey’s Cookies, Collette hopes to partner with other disability organizations across the U.S. to offer employment and partnership opportunities with her business. She is also releasing her second book in spring 2022 and continues to offer workshops on independence and entrepreneurship through her nonprofit, Collettey’s Leadership. One day, Collette hopes to make a documentary about her life as an independent entrepreneur that can bring hope and inspiration to others since, after all, she started her business because no one would hire her. It turns out becoming an entrepreneur and CEO of her own company was “the right fit” for Collette! n
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