Founder of Sweet Loren’s on Beating Cancer, Living Life With No Regrets & Building the #1 Natural Cookie Dough Brand from Her Kitchen with Loren Castle

Loren Castle is the founder and CEO of Sweet Loren’s, the
better-for-you baking company that makes America’s #1 natural
cookie dough brand on the market.


 


After being diagnosed with cancer in her early twenties, Loren
faced many hurdles with treatment, depression, and her life being
turned upside down at such a young age. Throughout the six months
of chemotherapy, she dedicated her time to changing her diet,
cutting out most dairy, artificial, and highly processed
ingredients. She started taking cooking classes to learn how to
make healthy and delicious food for herself. One thing that stood
out to her at the time was that she could not find any delicious,
clean baked goods on the market, so she made it her mission to
create her own. After experimenting with hundreds of recipes, and
sharing with family & friends, she eventually found the
winning combination of ingredients to make her irresistible
cookie dough and that’s when Sweet Loren’s was born. In 2012, she
caught the attention of Whole Foods through a few unexpected
events and a few years later gained national distribution at
Publix. They’re now in over 25,000+ retail doors across the
country.


In this week’s episode, Loren talks about how she found her
purpose while battling cancer, how she took her hobby &
turned it into a real business, and the steps that helped her
validate that she was actually onto something. She also shares
the details behind her deal with Whole Foods and the secret sauce
that made them say yes, and how she leaned into the customer in
the first few years of business to tailor every aspect of her
business from the packaging to the recipes. Loren explains her
journey in finding the right manufacturer, the highs and lows of
running a business over the past decade, and the importance of
having solid mentors and a support system. Loren also talks about
ways she fills her cup and prioritizes her self-care, advice she
has for up-and-coming women founders and so much more!


In this episode, we’ll talk to Loren about:


* The difference between a great idea and a great business.
[02:59]


* Loren’s upbringing and her parents as role models. [09:05]


* Being diagnosed with cancer at 22. [13:42]


* Early interests and work experiences. [20:21]


* Transitioning baking hobby into a business. [25:41]


* Loren’s relationship with confidence. [33:14]


* Importance of over communication in business. [39:21]


* Pursuing a passion-driven business. [45:53]


* Fundraising strategies as the business expands. [49:47]


* Balancing self-care amidst entrepreneurship. [55:15]


* Sweet Loren’s future plans. [01:03:49]


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Follow Loren: 


* Website: https://sweetlorens.com/


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetlorens/


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenbrill/


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