She's no rookie: Baker rolling in dough in tough times
»Play Video
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Despite these here lean times, a local bakery is rolling in the dough.
In fact, the recession is the least of Erin Baker's worries.
Baker isn't your average baker. She makes granola to order.
"And yes, my name is really Baker and people don't believe that. I was born to do this. Started baking and selling cookies door to door at age 7," she said.
Baker pioneered her breakfast cookie business in a Four-H kitchen with one mixer. Her business has risen several times since.
Baker sold her car to buy her first oven. Today she has 50 employees who pump out 60,000 breakfast cookies and 15,000 bags of granola every day.
The recession has been rough, but Baker has weathered worse challenges.
"The Atkins diet where people just stopped eating carbs," Baker said," We lost 60 percent of our distribution in three months."
The low-carb challenge taught Baker to run lean and mean without borrowing money. Her business suffered as did her heath -- an autoimmune disease attacked her body.
"I was dying and had to make big decisions about surgery, and it took me away from work," she said.
Then baker battled the big boys over a trademark.
"I spent most of my savings going after Kellogg, trying to protect breakfast cookie for my business," shes aid.
Then came the massive peanut recall.
"That lasted about 36 hours, but cost us a lot of money," she said.
With each obstacle, Baker got stronger.
"If you're passionate about what you do not only survive but thrive. I'm living proof of that today," she said.
Baker now caters to 20,00 retailers and owns a multi-million dollar business. Not bad for a baker who started by selling to 15 cookie customers while working in a borrowed kitchen with a pie in the sky dream.
In fact, the recession is the least of Erin Baker's worries.
Baker isn't your average baker. She makes granola to order.
"And yes, my name is really Baker and people don't believe that. I was born to do this. Started baking and selling cookies door to door at age 7," she said.
Baker pioneered her breakfast cookie business in a Four-H kitchen with one mixer. Her business has risen several times since.
Baker sold her car to buy her first oven. Today she has 50 employees who pump out 60,000 breakfast cookies and 15,000 bags of granola every day.
The recession has been rough, but Baker has weathered worse challenges.
"The Atkins diet where people just stopped eating carbs," Baker said," We lost 60 percent of our distribution in three months."
The low-carb challenge taught Baker to run lean and mean without borrowing money. Her business suffered as did her heath -- an autoimmune disease attacked her body.
"I was dying and had to make big decisions about surgery, and it took me away from work," she said.
Then baker battled the big boys over a trademark.
"I spent most of my savings going after Kellogg, trying to protect breakfast cookie for my business," shes aid.
Then came the massive peanut recall.
"That lasted about 36 hours, but cost us a lot of money," she said.
With each obstacle, Baker got stronger.
"If you're passionate about what you do not only survive but thrive. I'm living proof of that today," she said.
Baker now caters to 20,00 retailers and owns a multi-million dollar business. Not bad for a baker who started by selling to 15 cookie customers while working in a borrowed kitchen with a pie in the sky dream.
