Defining Hospitality

[00:00:25] Dan Ryan: everyone. Today's guest is a trailblazing entrepreneur. She is a clean and sustainable food expert. She's passionate about seriously delicious food, especially sweets, and also full disclosure. Cookies are my favorite food. The CEO and founder of sweet.
[00:00:43] Loren's miss Lauren Brill.
[00:00:48] Loren Brill: Thanks so much for having me.
[00:00:50] Dan Ryan: It's so good
[00:00:50] Loren Brill: to see you. So good to see you too. I know it, I mean, in person would be better, but
[00:00:56] Dan Ryan: I'll take you in well, that'll happen soon enough. [00:01:00] So just full disclosure to everyone. I've known Lauren for many, many years. Um, we were in an entrepreneur group together and know her very well.
[00:01:10] Like I said at the beginning, full disclosure cookies are my favorite food in the world. And Lauren has this incredible, um, cookie company called sweet Lawrence and they just make me feel at home. So, you know, to think about that. The whole point of this podcast defining hospitality, Lauren. Um, I know for me, if I think of cookies that reminds me of home and spending time with my dad, it makes me feel comfortable, but like, how do you define hospitality?
[00:01:42] Loren Brill: I define hospitality as is how you're made to feel. And so that can come. I think food is a very powerful vehicle to bring joy and emotional. Uh, well, being to people it's like, you [00:02:00] give a cookie to anyone. I don't care what age, a warm cookie out of the oven. And they turn into a little kid, you know, and somehow just have the best, most comforting nurturing memories, um, that bring them right back.
[00:02:13] And so I think hospitality is, is the way you treat people and the way you're made to feel and in food, you know, we're all about just making people feel really, really happy. That's that's really the point of sweet Loren's is delivering happiness.
[00:02:29] Dan Ryan: I love that now. So this love of food and associating with that.
[00:02:33] Like where does that come from for you?
[00:02:37] Loren Brill: I think back, I mean, it's so we know what's nature. What's nurture. I think, I think my whole family loves good food. So, um, maybe part of it's genetic, but we also grew up that way. My, my parents were both entrepreneurs really busy, but. Um, and I have two siblings, so three kids, we were raised in New York city.
[00:02:56] So it's just always a very busy kind of hectic life. And I [00:03:00] remember, you know, just dinner time was really important and, um, fresh, delicious food was really important. My mom was really strict that there was no soda in the house. Um, there was no candy, you know, and there's always a salad with dinner. We were raised with, you know, great food around us.
[00:03:16] And I think food was a way to celebrate and come together and nourish ourselves. And, um, that was kind of like first and foremost, you know, kind of growing up. And so, you know, maybe I could have changed later on, but I, I just, I'm so connected to the joy that food brings and how it helps you celebrate life and celebrate moments.
[00:03:38] Yeah. Connect with people, but also I'm so passionate about health and wellness, that food to me, isn't just about like pure joy. It's really about the energy and nutrition you're putting in your body and the higher quality food you put in in a more whole real food and nutrition or food, you know, to me, the better off you're going to feel emotionally, physically, [00:04:00] and, and.
[00:04:02] Dan Ryan: Well, it's interesting. You say that. Cause like I love cookies for me. That would be how I would spend time with my dad. We'd get a half gallon of milk and a huge thing of cookies and just sit at the table and eat them. So, but when I think about nourishing the body and the soul, and I think about, um, cookies, there's like a disconnect there.
[00:04:23] So like how do you make your cookies different? So it checks all those other boxes that are important.
[00:04:30] Loren Brill: Yeah, exactly. That was the whole goal of sweet Lawrence is there's enough normal cookies out there. I want to do something different. I want to create a cookie that turns, you know, sinful pleasures into kind of joyful ones.
[00:04:42] So you don't feel bad about indulging. You actually feel good about it. And I created sweet. Loren's really out of a personal story, personal need. I was diagnosed with cancer in my early twenties. I had Hodgkin's lymphoma and thank God they, there was a cure and I, and I had great [00:05:00] access to doctors and was able to, um, be cured, but it completely changed my life.
[00:05:05] And my, the doctors I had were amazing, but they didn't talk about. Nutrition or exercise or meditation, or just anything besides kind of the medicine. And that's really, when I realized you have to become your own doctor and really have a lot of self-awareness to connect with your own body, to help keep it healthy and also, you know, figure out what your body needs.
[00:05:28] No one can tell you that except yourself.
[00:05:30] Dan Ryan: Thinking about, taking care of the whole self and, and the body. Like, what I think of is I think of kale, I think of lettuce, vegetables, lots of vegetables, but it's, it's still reassuring and wonderful.
[00:05:45] And you know, just to repeat that word of joy from you is that like, to be able to throw cookies and sweets and things that are historically not seen as good for you. Um, that you were able to experiment and become like a mad [00:06:00] scientist in, in your kitchen and come up with these really clean, healthy, um, ingredients.
[00:06:06] Loren Brill: Yeah. Um, I mean, that was the goal is like to do the impossible, you know, most cookies are made of. Tons of dairy and refined flours and refined sugars. And if it's packaged, you know, potentially chemicals or preservatives or artificial flavors and colors, and, you know, I don't want any of that stuff in my body.
[00:06:25] It's just very hard to digest. There's not nutritional value. And to be honest, it doesn't taste that good. I think real whole food can taste so much better. So I was just so passionate about making a cookie that you could feel great about. So sweet Lauren. Yeah. You know, all of our cookie dough is it's gluten-free it's dairy-free it's plant-based it's egg-free it's peanut and tree nut free it's whole grain, you know, so we're all these things that delicious cookie dough, you know, doesn't normally contain, but we figured out how to make it so [00:07:00] delicious.
[00:07:00] Um, use just the highest quality tastiest non-GMO ingredients, and also just be certified, all these things. So that. Oh, number one, everyone can eat it. Whatever your dietary restriction is or lifestyle. Um, or if you have a food allergy, but also. It's better for you. So when you eat cookies all the time, you don't feel great afterwards because they're made of kind of such refined ingredients.
[00:07:27] It's, it's, it's hard for your body to digest. It's very heavy, you know, when you eat sweet, Loren's, there's more nutritional value in it. And so you can feel great. So, yeah, I mean, I became a mad scientist because when I was recovering. I, I really cleaned up my diet. I started eating just kale, fresh vegetables, salads, you know, real whole fresh food, a lot of fresh protein.
[00:07:50] Um, you know, and, and I felt so much better and I just didn't, it's so hard once you start eating healthy to go back because you feel you fall in [00:08:00] love with feeling so good. And, um, I felt like food tasted so much fresher and more delicious. And so I felt so much more satisfied. You know, when you fall in love with somebody that, you know, I felt it was really easy to eat your meals that way, but dessert, I was always disappointed.
[00:08:15] Everything's always really highly refined. So, you know, just using those same principles of using high quality oils, high quality grains, um, using, you know, non-GMO ingredients, you know, could I find a way to recreate a chocolate chip cookie and make it the best ever. And you know, it took hundreds and hundreds of tries, but you know, we finally cracked the code.
[00:08:36] Dan Ryan: When I first met you and you told me that you have a cookie business, and then you said it was gluten-free nut-free oil, all these free things. I was like, that sounds terrible. Right? And then when you made them for me, I was like, holy shit, this is amazing. So one of the ways that I like making other people feel comfortable, I love sending gifts to them or little notes or whatever, but one of the things I've never been able to send to [00:09:00] people.
[00:09:00] As a expression of my gratitude and thanks for the, for them being who they are, our baked goods and cookies. So I got to say, um, this winter, I did a huge purchase from you guys. And I sent them out to friends and clients and everything, and it landed, it was so good. And it landed for many, many people in the Northeast.
[00:09:24] The morning of a huge snow storm and the photos that I got of people eating cookies by the fire and the warmth and the love and, and just all that gratitude. I know it was sending them all back to you because like, I just wanted to share in that, but I feel like I was able to share my love of cookies with others because sometimes I don't know, who's gluten-free or whatever, or has allergies.
[00:09:46] And it allowed me to share one of my passions. With others and it was such like an amazing serendipitous surprise. So for you. Like, that's how I like to make others feel comfortable. Like how do you [00:10:00] make people feel comfortable? It could be in work in life, in anything. What are the techniques that, or things that you do to make people feel comfort?
[00:10:07] Loren Brill: Well, if it's in person, you always have to serve good food. I think that, you know, um, that helps people relax and you know, whether that's a glass of wine or some sparkling water or warm cookies, I mean, You immediately let people's guards down and connect, I think with, with great food and drink around.
[00:10:27] And I think I also, I think it's really important to listen to people and ask questions and be interested in who they are, you know? So just to be able to accept people for who they are and be interested in, in them and kind of no judgment. I think that that's been, um, a way for me to, you know, I practice that a lot with anyone I work with, um, our team.
[00:10:51] Totally different people. And I want everyone to feel comfortable just being who they are. And, um, I really respect everyone, you know, on our team [00:11:00] and who we've worked with. And, you know, I think that that's what makes life rich is, is having, you know, diverse, interesting people around. So, so I think those are, you know, those are two and, and supporting people, you know, whatever their dreams are or hobbies, um, Again, I think the no judgment and just kind of being supportive of people and interested in who they are and what they like, and, and, um, are, are just important things to help people open up and feel
[00:11:28] Dan Ryan: comfortable.
[00:11:29] And then on that, no judgment in that, getting people to connect and feel open, like where do you think you learn that? Like, was it a person? Was it just your knee? You said nature versus nurture before, but like how did you come to that realization?
[00:11:44] Loren Brill: I think it's a combination. I've probably experienced it myself, just being a young female entrepreneur.
[00:11:50] And there are a lot of people that I think doubted me at the beginning or just thought what I was doing was cute. And, I hated that feeling. That feeling of, "wow, maybe if I was,[00:12:00] an older guy, you would look at me like you would take this really seriously." So, that idea of just judgment or stereotypes or, not believing in people because of preconceived notions.
[00:12:13] It just sucks. For me, it, on some level made me want to prove everyone wrong and fight, even more to grow a really succinct, big business, but it doesn't feel good when you feel doubted by people. So I think from personal experience, and then also, I think I was raised with parents that were just very open and supportive of all different types of people. And then my team has taught me it a lot. Like I just have such respect for everyone on our team and what they've done to help grow the business. And everyone's really from different walks of life, and I think all of that just helps me look at people and say like, It's all good.
[00:12:50] Wherever you came from, as long as you're hardworking and trustworthy and passionate and, positive energy, like you're my kind of person.
[00:12:59] Dan Ryan: [00:13:00] Well, I mean, that's wonderful. And I'm trying to think about like how much of an inspiration you've been to me and just watching you as this as an entrepreneur grow.
[00:13:13] And how you've been able to grow between the east coast and the west coast and keep your team aligned and growing and energized. Like how, how have you done that?
[00:13:25] Loren Brill: So I've done that by. You know, when I, so I moved to LA to I. So from New York city started my company in New York. Most of our teams on the east coast, we have some people in the middle of the country and then two weeks before COVID.
[00:13:43] I moved out to LA and we hired some people in LA. So we really started in LA kind of LA, there are people and there's an LA office and then kind of a New York office. And then with COVID, we, we obviously just became a remote company kind of overnight. And now as things hopefully are [00:14:00] reopening and safer, people still want it to be mostly remote.
[00:14:04] So what we've done is. Create fun, happy hours. Every other week, we do an hour happy hour with our whole team and it's not work-related and every week is a different thing. So sometimes it's like a trivia game sometimes. Um, it's kind of a more in depth. Um,
[00:14:27] Like work, I want to say, but, um, in terms of like personality assessments or understanding your strengths and weaknesses, um, or kind of a questionnaire that helps people open up, um, You know, every week we do every other week, you know, we do this and we just kind of mix it up. So it's been a way to get to know people, bond and keep our culture kind of alive, even if we're remote.
[00:14:51] And now we've decided that at least two times a year, we're going to fly everyone together to have kind of a, you know, a three-day working session that [00:15:00] also involves fun. You know? So. Half of it is really serious planning sessions where we're all together in person. Um, and we'll do that in June so we can kind of reassess and plan, make sure we're on target for the rest of the year.
[00:15:14] And then we do another one in, let's say November, um, where we can really plan the next year and also kind of. Celebrate holiday time, like Thanksgiving, Christmas kind of altogether. So that's what we're doing now. Um, and I think those things, um, are exciting for people. It's something we look forward to.
[00:15:32] Um, and it's, I guess it's just finding the right balance of in-person and, you know, and being on zoom. And then also a lot of people have complained about maybe zoom fatigue. So, so just listening to people and changing things to phone calls, if zoom is too much and, and, uh, you know, Being flexible with people.
[00:15:50] I mean, I just really care. We're very clear on the goals that everyone has on the team. So I just care that those get done right. If someone, you know, [00:16:00] you want to say we have a nine to five schedule, but you know, there are times that people need to work later and, um, you know, have something to do in the morning and, you know, it's all good.
[00:16:09] As long as the work gets done, I'm, you know, I really trust our team and want to empower that kind of lifestyle. Yeah,
[00:16:16] Dan Ryan: and I love how to get everyone together. You're talking about joy and checking in on the wellbeing, which actually comes right back to how you define hospitality. Um, so as you're plotting your growth and, and keeping your team together and really nurturing your culture, like what's keeping you up at night, these days from, from your perspective.
[00:16:39] Loren Brill: So what keeps me up at night is. Is honestly, uh, how can we grow fast? I think we've done an amazing job. Um, sweet Lawrence has made it to the Inc 5,000 for three years in a row as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the U S so I'm super proud of our growth, but [00:17:00] we also. Never really spent money on marketing.
[00:17:03] We've never, um, all of our growth has really been in the word of mouth and, um, just people finding us in supermarkets. Um, you know, we're still in the refrigerated cookie dough section. So as people walk by the supermarket, they haven't heard of us. Our packaging jumps out because it's magenta color with white background and, you know, people.
[00:17:20] So people found us that way. And then through friends, um, I think now's the time where I'm just so confident in our product and our, and our team can handle the growth in our factory can handle the growth that it's time to like be as big as possible and really build a brand name.
[00:17:37] Dan Ryan: And then, so what do you think is your biggest challenge in getting, I mean, I already think you're a big brand name, but that's just me because I'm, I'm totally biased, but like, what's your biggest challenge to get you to that next level?
[00:17:50] Loren Brill: Well, when you're in the food industry, I mean, you're, you know, And packaged foods. So we're sitting on a shelf next to multi-billion dollar [00:18:00] global conglomerate food companies, you know, that have been around for. So it's, you're competent just as, is really big, has been around for a long time and has really deep pockets.
[00:18:11] So I think for us, you know, it's always, how can we outsmart and how can we use every cent and every dollar. You know, to the highest degree, so that it's the most efficient for us. So I think, yeah. You know, that's the hard part is there's millions of people that would love sweet Loren's and just even know that it clean cookie dough, that's delicious, exists, you know, they'd be obsessed, but also they have, you know, if they're vegan or trying to be plant-based or dairy-free, or, you know, have a peanut or tree nut allergy, or gluten-free, it's like, you're going to be insanely obsessed with the product because you know, there's no other cooking on the market.
[00:18:49] Like it it's so delicious. It's safety raw. You can bake it. So. I think, you know, it's just getting the word out to the right people and figuring out how to do that, [00:19:00] uh, with, you know, without spending millions, you know, millions of dollars when you're competing with, you know, big brand names.
[00:19:07] Dan Ryan: Um, okay. So let's say you figure all of that out.
[00:19:11] And then where, where, where does your excitement take you? How do you see where you are in a year to two years and all of that joy and emotional wellbeing being you're bringing up.
[00:19:23] Loren Brill: Well, what's really exciting is right now we're building an innovation pipeline. So, um, in the next like month it'll be done.
[00:19:29] So we'll have at least a three year innovation pipeline of what we're working on. What's next. And so in two years, I see us just moving down that ladder of, um, of our innovation pipeline, which we're working on some super exciting products and. Um, and, and really just reaching more people and growing a brand that proves that, um, female entrepreneurs can crush it, that clean food can be more delicious than, you know, conventional and, um, [00:20:00] that you can build a food business that uses cleaner ingredients, more sustainable ingredients, and is better for yourself and the environment.
[00:20:06] And you know, that it's possible to do something better than what's been on the shelf.
[00:20:11] Dan Ryan: One of the things that's really resonated with me as you were talking was just like, when people said, oh, that's cute. Because you as a female entrepreneur and hearing you say, you know, being an inspirational female entrepreneur, like how are you?
[00:20:25] Are you doing anything to make. And to support other female entrepreneurs through inspiration or coaching, or like, what are you doing to help get more women into entrepreneurship?
[00:20:38] Loren Brill: So I love this. I mean, I it's, it is a huge passion of mine. I'd love to. To do this as much as possible, but. We get a lot, we have amazing fans and we get emails and messages all the time from parents that say that their daughter loves our cookie dough and loves seeing the back of our package. I have the story of how I created Sweet Loren's in a picture of me. And I think them [00:21:00] just seeing that and being like, oh my God, that's it, that's a pretty young female, like, I could do that. I can do whatever I want, and I think just having more, seeing more role models out there of women just normalizes it so that, whoever you are, whatever age you are, you don't think it's weird or super hard. You're not at a disadvantage. If you're female it's totally been done, it's totally doable.
[00:21:23] And women should dream as big as they want.
[00:21:26] Dan Ryan: Again, like when I see what you. From that cute thing, which I never thought it was cute. I always thought you were inspirational, but it's, I'm, awe struck it's really, uh, amazing, um, and inspirational. So the more that we can get more diverse people, to see what entrepreneurship is all about.
[00:21:47] Like, I think. Whatever little bit you could do is amazing. So when you're traveling and homesick, like what food do you crave the most when you're away from your family? [00:22:00]
[00:22:02] Loren Brill: Uh, I probably just crave. It's so simple, but like, like a whole roasted chicken to me with like roasted potatoes and onions and peppers and like.
[00:22:16] Kale salad with avocado or something. It's, it's so simple, but sometimes like a perfectly, you know, that to me is home. Like, there's just nothing more comforting. And sometimes, I mean, like that is better than like anything you get at a fancy restaurant. And so I think sometimes after ordering out a lot or going out a lot or traveling a lot, like just having that type of meal, um, is so nurturing.
[00:22:40] Good for the soul.
[00:22:43] Dan Ryan: Yeah. And, and again, in all these conversations about hospitality, I'm hearing so much about like, how do you connect with the soul and how do you kind of like pay attention to that space that exists between all of us. Um, and I think food in the sense, and [00:23:00] it really just is a tremendous way to, to bring people together.
[00:23:05] Um, so. As far as thinking about what makes you think of hospitality? Sometimes we're inspired by the best. And sometimes the worst informs us just as much. So what's your best experience of hospitality that would have inspired you to continue onto a path that you're on?
[00:23:28] Loren Brill: I think my best. So I used to work at Levann bakery in New York city for anyone that's from New York.
[00:23:37] Um, they're just are, they were, they were my local bakery growing up in the upper west side and I, and I actually got a job there. I started working there when I was. Um, in college just when I was home, cause I was waiting tables at a restaurant and then I started working at this bakery and it was super popular bakery.
[00:23:57] It was always a line out the door [00:24:00] and it was small. It was so authentic. There was nothing fancy about it. There was two women who owned it and they were working every day and I just learned so much from their customers. Service, like they just treated everyone incredibly well. You know, they treated any dog dog that came by, you know, as well as any human, they just were so welcoming, so loving, so happy to be there, you know?
[00:24:28] So, so it was just a dream to like walk into a bakery with, you know, delicious, fresh baked goods, but also get this kind of customer experience where it really felt like in the busy-ness of New York city. You know, you were in the small town where people cared and said hi to each other. And, uh, just wasn't so transactional.
[00:24:46] So I just learned a lot from the feeling I got working there was just like, wow, this place is doing things a little different. And, um, it feels very special. And so I think I learned a lot from [00:25:00] that kind of customer experience. And then. Um, I had another job that was, um, I was a waitress in a restaurant and the owner of the restaurant was just, um, a really terrible guy.
[00:25:16] And that also taught me equally as much because I got to the point where I just remember one day I was like, it doesn't even matter how much you could pay me. I will, I am not going to go to work tomorrow. Like there just got to be a point where, you know, it wasn't about the money. You could pay me so much money.
[00:25:35] And I was so miserable working there. I just felt so undervalued. Um, he treated people, he just treated people terribly. There wasn't really like goals to work for. It had the opposite experience that I had when working for the bakery. And I. Both those things taught me a lot about what kind of culture and company I'd want to start, where people feel very valued.
[00:25:58] There's really positive [00:26:00] energy. People have goals. There's upward mobility for everyone. And even if we're becoming, you know, a big company, I always want to have that kind of friendly, that friendly vibe where you genuinely care.
[00:26:15] Dan Ryan: So one of the things that I've seen is like, when you have that bakery, Metaphor of the, of the two owners who would make everyone feel important as companies grow hotels, businesses.
[00:26:27] Um, it doesn't matter. Oftentimes that gets lost. And while it's very easy to see how the guy you worked with as a waitress is like, I never want to be like that. And I'm going to do everything I can to repulse that. How have you taken what you've learned from working in that bakery to where you are now and how, how do you hold on to that so that your team, your customers, um, and that everyone is feeling comfortable with you.
[00:26:55] So you don't lose that special spark.
[00:26:58] Loren Brill: Yeah, I think you have to [00:27:00] really build it in the culture and the DNA so that it's not only based on one person, one person, cause that's not sustainable. So for instance, the way that we, um, I have an amazing VP of sales and the way that we would do sales together, you know, I personally started sweet Loren's was a one woman show, uh, got us into whole foods and then Publix and then Kroger supermarkets.
[00:27:23] And then we were off to the races, you know, I knew we were going to be. A multimillion dollar company and, and I, and I couldn't handle that growth and I needed a team and I knew then that's when I would be able to afford a team. So I hired this VP of sales and we used to, she does it all now, but I used to go third, all the sales meetings and we would, we, I have a cookie dough company.
[00:27:45] Sweet Loren's is selling cookie dough. Right. So we would go, we would stay when we met with the supermarket, we would stay at a hotel that had a kitchen, so it would have an oven. So we would say, and, you know, Not necessarily the nicest hotels, but [00:28:00] all we cared about were that it had a kitchen and it had a stove and we would in our, in our bags, you know, bring baking sheets and spatulas and, um, clamshells and wax paper and our stickers.
[00:28:12] And we had this whole setup. If we had a meeting with the supermarket at, let's say 10:00 AM, we were up at 6:00 AM, baking, fresh cookies, perfectly putting them in these clam shells. And it was just this amazing white glove service that took hours of time. And, you know, then we'd show up to a meeting with beautiful, delicious, warm, gooey chocolate chunk cookies that smell, you know, and all of a sudden the buyer would be.
[00:28:41] Oh, I get this, you know, and immediately there was no connection. So we've just built that extra, going that extra mile and, and doing our very best and trying to be flawless and passionate and personal. It's just how we've set up our system at this point, so that I don't go to [00:29:00] those meetings anymore. But our sales team does the exact same thing that I would have.
[00:29:04] And so I think you just have to set up kind of systems and build it in your culture and really be picky about who you hire, because if you hire just anyone who's smart, you know, that doesn't mean that they're going to exude the passion and care and customer service that, you know, you might stand up.
[00:29:23] Dan Ryan: So, uh, thinking of like traveling all the time and staying in hotels, I've never seen a check box in the, in the filter for, does it have an oven I can use?
[00:29:32] So like, how did you, how did you select the hotels with the ovens?
[00:29:36] Loren Brill: Yeah, no, exactly. We had to stay in like, kind of like, you know, the, the apartment like hotels, you know, we're there, we're there a lot of people that were staying there for longer periods of time. Cause they have like a mini micro kitchen.
[00:29:49] Um, and so, yeah, but that's, that's how our company is set up at this point where it's not like you get to stay in a hotel, you know, any hotel, like we're, we're really staying in, [00:30:00] you know, apartment like hotels, because we want that oven and we want to be able to bake off or cookies and have that fresh experience for the buyers so they can understand if they put our cookies sweet Loren's cookie on the shelf.
[00:30:13] This is what a customer would experience when they bring it home and they bake it off in there.
[00:30:18] Dan Ryan: Wow. And then, so as far as like, I want to go back to the innovation that you're doing, because when you're saying you have three years of new products that are in the pipeline coming out, um, obviously I don't want you to divulge, you know, your secret laboratory, but what are some of the really exciting things that you're working on and how did you come up to those innovations?
[00:30:39] Loren Brill: The first innovation that we have, that's already on our website@sweetlawrence.com and is in, in some supermarkets is edible cookie dough. So I launched sweet Loren's, you know, really to be, to build a clean food platform, cookie dose, the first product we'll have. There are many other types of products we're working on beyond cookie dough, but cookie [00:31:00] dough really.
[00:31:01] Everyone's favorite food. It's what made people the happiest. And I have a serious passion for eating cookie dough, raw and making cookies for friends and family. It's just like pure joy, pure happiness. So I made our, so our place in bake cookie dough that you can, you know, that you can buy is you can bake it, but it's also safety raw.
[00:31:22] And we started to hear from a lot of customers. I actually don't even bake your cookie dough. I just eat it raw. Can you come out with other flavors? Can you make it extra creamy? So we recently just launched cups of edible cookie dough. It's not for baking. It comes in a cup. We have a mini cup and then a larger size kind of pint size where you can just take a spoon.
[00:31:44] And spoon out, you know, as many spoons as you want and just look the spoon of cookie dough raw so that you just get that incredibly creamy and rich experience so that we just launched in chocolate chunk, double chocolate, brownie, batter, and birthday [00:32:00] cake. And it's so delicious and like really insanely delicious.
[00:32:03] And, and you can't believe that it's also based based and gluten-free, and dairy-free, and non-GMO. And so, you know, we just handpick the highest quality ingredients. That's recently launching and, um, people have been loving that, and then we're working on future innovations as well that I can't reveal yet.
[00:32:22] But you know, you can imagine if, if you love baking, um, or have a sweet tooth, you know, what other products would you like to see on the market? It's probably on our list.
[00:32:32] Dan Ryan: So if I heard you correctly, these innovations that you spoke about and Owens, if you can't speak about, you heard about it from your customers.
[00:32:39] Loren Brill: Yeah. A lot of them, uh, we, it's a combination of. What do our customers want? And our, thankfully we have very loyal fans who email us a message daily and are very vocal. Like I love your products. Can you create, you know, X, Y, and Z as well. So we listen to people and people ask us for everything from, you know, [00:33:00] donuts to biscuits, to pizza dough, to cookies, to pie, crust.
[00:33:05] I mean, you name it. You know, we get asked to kind of do everything. And so. There's definitely about a couple of, of products that have been consistently the number one, two and three that people have asked for. So we look at that and then we researched the industry and we say, where's their white space, you know, where could we create something that no one's done before that there's really a problem, really a need, um, that we could.
[00:33:32] Dan Ryan: At any of these innovations that you heard about from your customers and then also the white space that you're looking. So it's kind of collaborative. Um, did any of them like really surprise you that you're like, I can't believe I'm doing that.
[00:33:45] Loren Brill: Um, yes and no. I think, I think the interesting thing is that we get asked to do a lot of things, but then when you think about the growth stage, it's like, it's really, really [00:34:00] important to.
[00:34:01] This first product that we launched that will be basically the bridge of cookie dough to new product is going to be crucial because this is the first product we'll have to really gain trust from consumers. That sweet Loren's is more than cookie though. You know, we can do anything. We can move beyond, you know, uh, one product and move into something else.
[00:34:25] And so I think it's really fascinating. To look at the research as well, because customers can ask for X, Y, and Z, but you also have to be very strategic about how you launch. So, you know, what are you really capable of launching? You know, uh, what makes the most sense is that first step in your brand of moving from cookie dough to another product, what is the landscape look like?
[00:34:51] Where is there white space? How much does it cost to produce? I mean, it's a combination of all of those things. And so I think we look at [00:35:00] what makes the most sense for our customer. What's the easiest for us to produce and what is, you know, what is the most needed in the market. And I think if you can, you know, figure out something that checks all those boxes, it's going to be at home.
[00:35:13] Dan Ryan: So with all the innovation though, and like all these different desires of customers in places that you're seeing, that you can go in the white space. How do, do you have any. Cause it's so often that entrepreneurs and businesses and hotels, they try to be all things to all people, but knowing your customer is super important.
[00:35:32] So how do you, as an entrepreneur put up guardrails for you and your team to be like, okay, that's a shiny object. Let's check it out. But no, like how do you go through that vetting process?
[00:35:43] Loren Brill: Yeah, I think that's super important because again, this is why I'm so excited to have a three-year plan is that we.
[00:35:50] You know, we've been able to run the company. I've been able to manage things because we've been cookie dos. We've been hyper-focused, you know, I've built this business over the last five years, [00:36:00] you know, with a handful of skews, you know, four flavors of cookie dough. And so it's been very, I don't want to say easy to manage, but we don't have a hundred skews, a hundred products to manage.
[00:36:10] Right. So it's been very focused and because we've been so focused, it's helped us get our cost of goods. Good. You know, we're a profitable company. Be able to have a healthy margin. All those things, um, have been because we've been hyper focused on executing, creating a really, you know, smart system. Now, as we move into other other products, it's really a combination of, again, you know, the.
[00:36:39] The white space in the market, you know, you could, you know, you can go on forever and building an innovation plan. So right now, for instance, you know, we've picked, let's say five different things we could move into. And I think you just have to think about what makes the most sense for the brand right now.
[00:36:57] What is closest to the brand right now, so that we're not going. [00:37:00] We're not jumping to a whole new customer base. And so I think, you know, once you make that jump and then you get that product in the marketplace, then you'll get feedback. And if you continue to hear, oh, okay. Now our customer base wants, you know, maybe, you know, uh, you know, a new, a new type of product, you know, you got test it.
[00:37:24] Um, you know, then you got to test it and, and just, I think that's how you grow over time. You go, the next product should be as close to your present customer base as possible. Cause you know, they're hungry for it. You know that they want it. You you've worked so hard to build that base, satisfy them in another way.
[00:37:39] And then based on customer. You know, you'll, you'll hear feedback. Hey, now we want a new type of product that doesn't have X, Y, and Z. And I think based on that feedback, if you hear it enough, and then you study the industry and there's enough white space and opportunity, it gives you enough conviction.
[00:37:56] That that should be the next product we want. So
[00:37:59] Dan Ryan: I [00:38:00] see, like you're, you're experimenting and you're, you're filling a space oftentimes, and I've heard you say that your customers will even give you an opportunity to test. So it's like, okay, is this going to be a successful project? So walk me through like an instance where you've gotten that you've gotten that chance from like a great customer and then like, what do you do to delight them and make them joy and prove your.
[00:38:24] Loren Brill: Yeah. I mean, we're so grateful. I mean, we have great relationships with, you know, the major supermarkets, you know, whether that's Kroger, Publix, you know, whole foods, target, um, you know, Wegmans stop and shop. I mean, all of them are excellent. You know, a couple of them have, have, you know, if we mentioned that we're working on new products, if the buyer really understands what we're doing and loves it, there'll be like, you know, send me samples before you're ready to launch.
[00:38:49] Like, I want to be able to give you feedback. I'll like, I'll tell you about, does the packaging work is the recipe, right? And that is so helpful to us to not only, not only, you know, we were building [00:39:00] like a, a fan base. If you're an extreme fan of sweet Loren's, you know, you'd be part of our kind of testing kitchen, where when we're working on new recipes, we could send it out to these 50 or so people and get their feedback.
[00:39:13] Same thing for buyers in a supermarket, we have a handful of great relationships with top retailers. We can send them samples and get their feedback, and that's really crucial so that you know that by the time we launch, we have a product that the retailers excited about because. Dimension wise and packaging design wise and price point and tastes wise, it works for them.
[00:39:36] And then it also works for our customer. Who's going to be buying it. You know, they're the most important person. I mean, both people are important because we need the supermarket to carry us. So we're on shelf. And then we need to know that at the end of the day, our customers are going to love it. So it flies off.
[00:39:50] Dan Ryan: It's it's tremendous to hear like that symbiosis between you and your customers. Cause oftentimes business can be so transactional and for them to kind of pull it from you and really be in [00:40:00] partnership with you. It's it's really inspirational. And I think that has to do with so much of the culture that you've really invested in and built.
[00:40:09] Um, okay. So now, like one of the things I always say, it's the journey shortening question. So if you were to knowing you as you are now, if you were to go back to your pre-cancer Lauren, just at the SC, um, trying to figure out what you want to do, what would, what advice would you give yourself to shorten your journey?
[00:40:31] Loren Brill: I would say
[00:40:36] like, um, don't take life, like make sure you're just having as much fun as possible and, and take advantage of every day, you know? So in some ways don't take life so seriously, you know, really make sure you're enjoying every day, meet as many great people as possible. Have as many adventures as possible.
[00:40:59] Don't be so [00:41:00] hard on yourself, just really enjoy life. And then on the other hand, I would say you're capable of conquering your wildest dreams. So know that and know that you will get there. And don't be so nervous about what the future holds because you're going to do great things. And I think I spent a lot of.
[00:41:26] Kind of my younger years, just so feeling so confused, feeling so not sure what I was going to do with my life. And you know, that it's just sucks having that feeling for a long time, you know, as opposed to just kind of saying like, that's, this is the time of my life that I'm allowed to feel that way. And I know, you know, that I should just keep trying new experiences and listening to what makes me happy and, you know, I will eventually figure out what's next.
[00:41:54] Dan Ryan: Yeah. And I think just all of those exp like just watching you and all the experiences and all the meetings and all of the, [00:42:00] just interactions with people, you really turn the volume up on that. And it's really, again, inspirational because it's that energy between all of those things that really great things come out of it.
[00:42:11] So it's really cool and wonderful to hear you say that. So kind of rounding third base here. If people want to get in touch with sweet Loren's like, where did they go? How do they find you? How do they give it a try aside from me sending them some on a cold wintry night.
[00:42:29] Loren Brill: You're so awesome. And it was the best thing ever when you're like, I want to send a million gifts to everyone.
[00:42:35] And this was in the middle of COVID. Like, it was such a smart. Way to make people happy, you know? And, um, you know, again, cookie dough may sound like silly, but when you get a package of, you know, six cookie dough packs of all these different flavors and, you know, you're home with your family, like there's kind of nothing better.
[00:42:52] So that was awesome. Um, so you can learn more about us on sweet Loren's dot com. That's sweet L O R [00:43:00] E N. Dot com you can put in your zip code and, and whatever supermarkets were sold in near you will pop up. So you can find this easily were sold in the refrigerated cookie dough section of every major supermarket.
[00:43:14] So, you know, whole foods, Publix, Kroger, stop and shop. Target Wegmans, you name it. So, um, a ton more. So just check us out in your local supermarket and if your local supermarket doesn't carry us yet, then request us, please. And then you can follow us at sweet Loren's on Instagram, Facebook. I'm at Loren Brill, L O R E N B R I L L.
[00:43:39] Um, and if you have any questions, email us@helloatsweetlawrence.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Um, and, uh, yeah, our goal is to build the best community and, and really create food that, you know, just brings you joy and makes you feel good about what you're eating. And so I'm always interested in hearing what [00:44:00] people are, what other products people want to see on the market, because we're just getting started.
[00:44:04] Dan Ryan: Yeah. And to me, hospitality is like tantamount to comfort and cookies to me are comfort. So the way to, for me, the easiest, most tactical way to deliver hospitality and comfort is give someone a warm cooking and a nice glass of milk or nut-free milk or a lactose free.
[00:44:20] Loren Brill: Exactly. No, that's exactly it. I mean, if you, if you know, whatever the fanciest hotel is out there, if you have a warm cookie.
[00:44:27] Plate on your menu, you know, um, guaranteed. That's going to be a top seller, you know, um, even if it's a small little in everyone, It, it, it just humanizes us, you know, I think that's why, you know, it's smart upon, upon check-in, you know, um, or at the end of a meal to be able to get a warm cookie, nothing makes you feel more yeah.
[00:44:48] Taken care of and nurtured and at home and kind of that ease then just something so simple, you know, then like a really well-made delicious, warm cookie. So I love this [00:45:00] concept that you have of just hospitality and how, how do you take care of people and really. How do you make them feel? Because that's what good hospitality is.
[00:45:09] Dan Ryan: Beautiful thing about, I, I wasn't thinking about the check-in or after dinner, but having like your cookies in particular, it's like, you don't have to worry if they're gluten-free or not, or having an hour, it's just like, Here's a cookie, it's a universal you take out any kind of second guessing.
[00:45:25] Loren Brill: Exactly.
[00:45:26] And that's what, that's, what we love seeing with families is that, you know, I think in the past, if someone in the family was vegan or gluten-free, or dairy-free, or had a nut allergy, they were like the weirdo and they had to eat the weird food in the house and everyone else eat the normal food. Now.
[00:45:42] People love our product that just families buy sweet Loren's and everyone can eat it. And you just don't have to worry what the dietary restriction is or, you know, lifestyle choice. And so, you know, we do offer food service. So, you know, if you are a hotel out there, that's interested in serving our cookie [00:46:00] dough.
[00:46:01] I mean, let's face it, it's hard to make gluten-free and vegan tastes really delicious. Um, and it's hard to kind of make, you know, super large batches all the time. So we do offer food service. If you are, um, you know, a fast casual restaurant or hotel that you know is interested, email us at hello at sweet Loren's and we'll send you more information, but you know, just that concept of being.
[00:46:23] Serve an amazingly delicious homemade tasting cookie. Um, you know, we have chocolate chunk flavors, Omo, cranberry, fudgy, brownie. We have a sugar cookie. I mean, they're all really amazing. So have to offer that and, um, you know, create something that kind of surprises and delights your customer is, is really great.
[00:46:42] And you know, it's a cookie feeds. All right. A
[00:46:45] Dan Ryan: cookie does feel all ages. And with that, Lauren, I want us today. Thank you so much for your time. I know how busy you are as a entrepreneur of a extremely fast and quickly growing company, a mom, and just running all over and doing [00:47:00] a thousand things at once.
[00:47:01] So first of all, thank you for your time. Um, everyone else, thank you for listening. Please reach out to or learn more about Lauren's the sweet Loren's at sweet lawrence.com and that's it. Everyone. If you learned something today or like, Tell someone about the podcast and thank you so much, everyone. And we'll see you next time.
[00:47:20] Loren Brill: Thanks so much for having me, Dan.
[00:47:22] Dan Ryan: Thank you.
[00:47:23]