#247: 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

Feb 19, 2024

01:06:21

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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]