Laura’s Dulce Naturally Baked Goods

It was a pleasure meeting Laura Cela at a recent vendor fair. She is passionate about creating baked goods that are both delicious and healthy, especially for those with restricted diets. She shared with me why she started the business, and once you taste her confections, you’ll agree she’s onto something.

Laura, can you briefly describe what your business does?

I sell baked goods that are low in natural sugars and gluten-free. Some items are Paleo and low carb, and other items are nut free. All items are also dairy-free.

Where did the idea come from?

We cook for the people we love, and I have been developing gluten-free and Paleo recipes over the last 15 years that fit the dietary restrictions for me, my husband, and our daughter. I believe that everyone deserves a treat and that you can have your cake and keep your blood sugar low, too.

I started the bakery after friends said that they loved what they were seeing on my social media and blog posts, but they didn't have time to bake themselves. My niche is really people looking to eat less sugar. That could be people who are diabetic or who are at risk for Type II diabetes, or it could be parents who want to give their kids a yummy treat that won't leave them bouncing off the walls.

I feel really happy when people can enjoy a delicious cake or cookie and not have to worry about what it will do to their blood sugar, their stomachs, or their skin. When you have dietary restrictions, it's such a treat to be able to indulge in a yummy treat. My goal is to provide that pleasure - but without the guilt (or itchy skin and upset stomach).

Can you describe your typical work day?

My bakery is a Cottage Food Operation (CFO) so I bake from my home kitchen. I'm a brand new business, so I do everything myself. My workspace has to be efficient, and we don't have a ton of counter space. The best purchase I have made was a bakery cart on wheels. It's amazing! Now I don't have trays of cookies cooling all over the counters.

Working from home means that I have to be super-efficient with space. The dream is to someday have a commercial kitchen space, but for now, since I have a young daughter, it's very convenient to be able to bake right from home. My priority is always her, so I try to do all of my baking while she's at school.

What are some of your best-selling confections?

People really love the granola bars and brownies. I sell both individually at $3 each. The granola bars are nut-free, chewy and full of pumpkin and sunflower seeds. I love pumpkin seeds myself, and they're so healthy for you. The brownies are also nut-free, and they're also gooey and chewy; they're so decadent!

My Paleo Double Chocolate Cookies are a big hit, too. They're like brownies in a cookie shape. All of my Paleo items are completely starch-free and grain-free, and they're sweetened only with stevia - and just enough to sweeten. I'm pretty sure my Double Chocolate Cookies make up at least 25% of my husband's diet. He eats them for breakfast, snacks, and dessert. They're full of protein and fiber, so, even though they taste indulgent, they're actually good for you, too.

What sets your business apart?

I believe that my focus on using as little natural sweetener as possible is what sets me apart from other gluten-free bakers. Right now, I'm selling products either individually or in packs of six (because, seriously, who eats just one cookie?). I'm planning to add some variety packs so people can sample everything, and I'd also like to add gift baskets for the holidays.

For people with food intolerances, we don't get to enjoy most of the holiday treats, so if someone gave me a gift basket of treats that I can actually eat, I would be over the moon. I'm working on getting those on the menu before the next holiday season arrives.

How is social media important to your business?

Instagram is my main social media feed. I'm convinced that learning how to make reels on Instagram is keeping my brain young. Instagram is really where most of the traffic is at nowadays, so I just focus my social media campaigns on there.

I've started making reels of me preparing my baked goods - not just the ones on my menu, but also the recipes that I'm currently developing. My goal is to post twice a week, because I have found with Instagram that you need to post frequently to stay in people's sights.

What are your thoughts on working with computers?

Instagram can be used entirely with just a phone, which is mind-blowing for those of us who grew up with phones attached to the wall. I use an Excel worksheet my husband very kindly made for me to track my expenses. I figure out my costs by hand with tables in Microsoft Word - I know I'm old-fashioned, but it's what works for me, and I like the process of crunching the numbers.

I recently moved all of my recipes into a folder on Google Docs. No more fears about my laptop crashing and losing all my recipes! Google Docs is amazing - no more need for backups.

I use Squarespace for my website. I do pay a monthly fee for it, but I think it's worth it to have a really nice online store where people can learn about my products and order products directly. I'm always thinking about how to streamline things for when someday I have a lot of orders. Having a website makes that much easier.

For my photographs, I use a Canon Rebel T7 camera and our incredible SoCal natural light. I use GIMP to scale down the photos so that they fit on websites, and I use Canva to add text and edit it all. I also get my business cards from Canva. All of these services are free. There was a learning curve at first with all of these technologies, but there are so many people out there who post helpful videos online.

I just needed to take a deep breath, open my mind to learning, and believe that I could do it, and then I just kept trying until I figured it out. I get really intimidated by tech, but figuring out how to use tech and social media makes me feel so proud. It reminds me that even if we're not "natural" at it or have a background in it, we can still figure it out by having patience and putting the time into learning it.

What are your thoughts regarding outsourcing work?

I do everything myself, but I'm also very fortunate to have a techie husband who is my in-house tech support. I used to rely on him a lot in the beginning, because I felt so intimidated by tech stuff, but now, I say, "I'll figure it out myself." So, I get online and watch videos to learn how to do things.

Services like Squarespace and Instagram are great, but they're made to be super user-friendly. I do my own bookkeeping, but I did use an accountant to file my taxes for the first year, but that was really expensive. Now I have a template to go off of, and so next year, I'll just do it myself.

How do you manage customer retention and do you have an Email list?

I don't use a mailing list service yet, because my business isn't so large yet. Squarespace has a mailing list service, so I will probably use that. I don't have the time or energy to use a ton of different services - I look for the most efficient ones that actually help me save time so I can spend more time baking.

How do you balance work and personal time?

One of the reasons why I started the bakery was to have a job that I could do while still being a full-time mom. I try to get everything done while my daughter is at school which means my time is extremely limited. My greatest fear is to have to be baking at 2 am! I don't want to do that, so I do a lot of planning so that I can produce products with maximum efficiency.

It's hard to do a lot of markets right now because weekends are family time. I'm lucky to have such a supportive partner (my husband) who reminds me constantly that new businesses take years to grow. I'm trying to keep my focus on the long-term and not get stressed out by the day-to-day.

What are your thoughts regarding the environment, social issues, and being a partner to the community?

I try to use all compostable or recyclable packaging. I don't want to be putting more plastic out into the world. That's my goal, but it's not always the easiest thing to achieve. Finding the right packaging for your products is tricky, especially if you're selling at outdoor markets where temperatures can be high. I try to keep my products simple and "natural." I think regularly about whether something is really necessary and whether it adds a lot of waste.

What is the outlook for the future of the business?

My goal is to find some corporate clients who will place regular large orders or find some wholesale clients. That would be the ideal. I am also working towards publishing a cookbook.

I always thought that having a storefront was the ultimate goal, but I'm not so sure about that anymore. There are lot of different ways to get your products to customers without so much overhead. I'm at the beginning of this journey, so while I have some ideas of where I might like the business to be in the future, I'm keeping an open mind and learning as I go.

Do you have any final thoughts for the readers?

The hardest thing, seriously, is just believing in yourself. Starting a business requires an astounding amount of perseverance. I have so much respect for everyone who has made it work. It can be daunting to believe in yourself and your products, but that's exactly what you have to do.

It's not necessarily the best who succeed - it's the ones who just keep going who succeed. I'm deeply grateful for my husband and daughter who have been so supportive of me starting the bakery. They are the ones who see the not-so-great days. I'm also so grateful for my friends who keep cheering me on and believing in me. I can't imagine doing this without all that support.

Wow, that is really an inspirational story. Thank you. So, how can people get in touch with you online?

You can reach me via the following links:

Email: lauracela823@gmail.com

Web: dulcenaturally.com

Instagram: /dulce_naturally