Cookie Preservative: Citric Acid

Citric Acid, also called sour salt, can be used in cookies as a preservative. It’s a weak acid found in citrus fruits, but is also manufactured from sugar.

There seem to be two opinions about it’s use in baking. Some folks use it strictly for fruit based baked goods and insist that it enhances any citrus flavor. According to these folks, the use of this acid may be restricted to the flavor of your cookies. Citric acid provides a sour (or “sharper) flavor to whatever it is added to, and would be a wonderful addition to lemon or lime cookies, or any type of cookie that would benefit from a sour flavor.

Of course, there are many cookie manufacturers that use this preservative successfully in all of their cookies, regardless of flavor. The other side of the citric acid “argument” says that if used in small enough quantities, it doesn’t effect the flavor of your baked goods at all. So I would have to assume that the addition of citric acid would simply involve some time in the kitchen. You would need to tweak your recipes until you reach the desired balance of citric acid and flavor.

Keep in mind that (and I’m not sure if this applies to ALL citric acid – you would have to talk to the supplier) citric acid cannot be heated over 338 degree F, or 170 degrees C. At higher temperatures, citric acid becomes completely benign, or so I’ve read. Just something to consider when selecting your source for citric acid, and something you should definitely ask them.

You will need to contact your state health department to find out what your state’s laws are. Please be thorough. You need to know these laws inside and out.

The FDA is a different animal all together. As it stands right now, you do not have to register with the FDA. But that may soon change. I would like to encourage you to register with them when they do pass the bill that requires it. Registration will be good for everyone because it will bring down fees for every business. The more businesses register, the less the fees will be. So registration, although a pain, is a good thing when it’s required.

Complying with the laws, rules and regulations of both agencies is vital if you want to run a successful cookie business. It’s your job to know how to do that and how these laws, rule and regulations apply to your individual business.

Take the time to learn these, or you may find yourself put out of business.

It depends.

I know, I know. Not the answer you were looking for. But here’s why I say it depends:

 According the the FDA:

• It depends on how many units you are selling.
• It also depends on whether or not you are making any “health claims” for your cookies. (i.e. low fat, gluten free, peanut free, etc)

You can find the FDA exemption criteria here: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/sbnle.html. If you qualify, then you do not need to have labels.

Try this link too: http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/FoodLabelingGuidanceRegulatoryInformation/SmallBusinessNutritionLabelingExemption/default.htm

In truth, I’ve never had to deal with this situation before simply because I never sold cookies with chocolate in them. However, here are some ideas:

1. Cold packs are a good idea, but you need to work the cost into the cost of your cookies and see if it’s a worthwhile investment. 
2. Before assuming your cookies will melt, test them. Mail some to yourself when the weather is hot out. See how they arrive. If they really are melted with a short shipping time, then you may need to reconsider your cookies. Fragile cookies and cookies that can’t withstand certain temperatures may not be the best choice for cookies you will be shipping. Especially if you sell online where everything you bake will be shipped.
3. If your cookies do melt, and you still want to sell them through the mail, then you will have to be sure to let your customers know that there is a good chance they will be melted when they get them. Instruct them to immediately put the box in the fridge or freezer prior to opening.

Outside of these suggestions, all I can say is to try different things until you find what works. I’d be curious to know if any readers here have had experience with this.

One option is to use your home owner’s insurance policy. You’ll have to talk to your rep for specifics, but it is an option.

A second option is Hartford Insurance. They are a national company and will insure a small cookie business under certain circumstances.

But what happens if you don’t own a house and you don’t qualify for regular business insurance?

In my past life, I owned a bath and body business. I became a member of the Indie Beauty Network. This fabulous organization has recently branched out. Donna Maria not only serves the bath and body industry, but also small business owners of all kinds.

You can now get business insurance that will cover confections, including cookies! When you sign up for this insurance, membership to the indie beauty network is included. But don’t let that put you off. The business information you can get there is invaluable.

So if bunches of great business advice and business insurance sound good to you, fill out their on line form here.

Donna Maria is the name of the woman who runs the organization. She is very helpful and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

However, there are some ways to handle wholesale at the local level.

If you can’t get any local stores to even glance at your cookies, here are some things to keep in mind.

Don’t be discouraged if local stores won’t take your cookies. This is not uncommon.

You need to start thinking outside the box. Build your community presence so that people will eventually ask those stores to carry your cookies. Find other venues for sales. There are so many ways to sell cookies these days, that you may not want to rely on wholesale accounts if it’s hindering your business.

Also, be sure you know why they don’t want your cookies. If they simply have to many cookies to sell at the moment, that’s something that will change with time, and you can approach them later.

But if it has to do with the flavor, packaging, price point or shelf life, that’s something you need to work on before you approach them again.

Approaching the local markets

If you absolutely want to break into your local market, here are some tips for doing so.

1) Make sure your cookies are making it into the right hands. Do your research. Get a name.

2) Make sure your cookies are presented well. Don’t just throw them in a box. Make that person remember your cookies with a nice presentation. (Gift basket perhaps?)

3) Don’t assume that being turned down is a final answer. It’s final for right now, but a store’s needs change with time. It’s totally acceptable to send a gift basket or well presented package every 6 months or so. Just be sure to check that the person you sent it to before, hasn’t left their job. Always recheck the person you need to send your cookies to.

4) Offer to do a tasting at the store to get customer feedback on your cookies. Then, be sure to include the feedback the next time you send them a basket for consideration.

Once you’ve been accepted

It’s been my experience that no local company will simply order your cookies, and then watch their sales explode. You need to be very hands on with the local market. Once a store has accepted your cookies, make sure you get in there to do tastings of your cookies. You will need to use your own cookie supplies for this, but it will benefit you greatly when the store sells so many cookies that they have to reorder.

These days, the local market DEMANDS hands on attention. Consider yourself a sales rep for your own company, because that is exactly what you are.

When doing tastings:
1) Dress very professionally.

2) Be sure to have all your company and cookie information handy for customers who want to know more about you and your product.

4) Keep in mind that most customers won’t know you are the owner of this cookie business. They will assume you are a sales rep, and you will not have the opportunity to tell them otherwise if things get busy. This means that in the eye’s of those customers, you are representing the store. NOT your own product. So be sure you interact very professionally with each customer, even the difficult ones.

5) Brace yourself. There are customers who will tell you exactly why they DON’T like your cookies. And that’s okay. Use it as “constructive criticism”, not as an insult. If they have a valid point, it’s something to consider, regardless of how untactfuly they delivered their message.

If they don’t have a valid point, keep in mind they have a right to their opinion. Being rude or otherwise “brisk” with them, will only hurt your sales in the long run. Especially if that customer complains to the store about you. That’s a sure fire way to kill your account with that store!

6) Use those tastings to get as much specific information as you can from customers. Talk to these people, because it’s their purchases that will make or break your store account. The more positive feedback you can give the store after a tasting, the better situation you will put yourself in with them. Don’t just tell them that customers seemed to like your cookies. That’s great, but any sales rep could say that after a tasting. Tell the store why customers liked your cookies. Are they unique and different from anything else the store carries? Do you offer a flavor customers can’t get anywhere else? Find out the specifics and let the store know why they need to continue purchasing from you.

7) While most stores now have automated ordering, some still do not. If you find that 6 months have gone by and a store has not reordered, give them a friendly phone call to follow up and see if they need any more product. Ordering managers that have simply forgotten will appreciate the reminder, and if the store has made the decision to no longer carry your cookies, it gives you the opportunity to find out why.

Now don’t get me wrong, your business name is important. It should be unique and it should be brandable. But that doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel if you can’t think of a name.

My best advice if you find yourself in this situation is to keep going. Forget about the name. It will come to you. Just keep going there are so many little things to attend to when starting a business that there really is no reason to stop the process.

The thing is, is you don’t stress about it too much, it will come to you. As you start designing a label or figuring out your menu, themes begin to emerge. Take notice of them. Build on them. Expand on them. Then, in a split second, the perfect name will come  to you.

I know that sounds kind of “new agey”, but it really does happen like that. The trick is not to over think it or let it stress you out. Meditate on it if you have to, but don’t lose sleep over it. Because the more you stress, the less likely you are to think of a really good and clever name.

I wish there was a formula for figuring out the perfect cookie business name. But in the end, you WILL find one. And isn’t that all that matters?

So relax! Enjoy the process of starting your business. It’s bound to be a wonderful experience.

It’s vital that you stay on top of this if you plan to start a cookie business or already have one running because there is just no way around it. This bill WILL affect you and your business.

Here is an article that gives a general overview.

To stay on top of where this bill is sitting in congress and what progress it’s making, you can view this web site.

At this point, the bill has been worked over a bit. The registration fee for all food businesses will be $1,000 instead of $10,000 annually. A considerable difference, but still a huge sum for small businesses.

My original intent was to go to Capitol Hill and fight for some changes in this bill. But the truth is, I just could not get anyone in the food industry on board with this. I have no backing at this point, so there is very little I can do.

I encourage anyone reading this to write to their congress people and speak up for small businesses. This bill is still sitting in congress and is being revised again and again. But I don’t think it will ever be revised to the point where it’s truly fair to very small businesses.

Unfortunately, that’s out government. And “we the people”, tend to stick our heads in the sand instead of standing up and doing something about it.

As soon as I hear about any progress in congress, I’ll let you guys know.

There’s just no way around it. If you want to start a cookie business, you have to write a business plan.

The good news is, when you’re done, you will know your business inside and out before ever spending a dime on it. In fact, that’s really the idea.

The truth is, you never have to set foot inside a bank to ask for money if you don’t want to (that’s what business plans are usually used for). But going through the process will educate you in ways you never expected.

What does a business plan do?

A business plan will help you learn the following about your business:

• ~Your best marketing strategy for your particular business
• ~Define the roles you will take in running your business
• ~Take you through the process of finding your suppliers or finding new ones.
• ~Get you to really think about your business, what your niche is and who your target market will be. This is vital information to narrow down.
• ~Tell you when you will start to see a profit.
• ~Help you narrow down the price you must charge for your cookies
• ~Help you plan where and when you will sell your cookies.
• ~And so much more.

The truth is, you shouldn’t even consider starting a cookie business without a business plan. But if you have already started, a business plan will be a hugely eye opening experience.

Please don’t skip this vital step. Yes, it’s time consuming and often frustrating. But nothing will beat the knowledge you have of your own business when you are done.