From Work-from-Home to Homemade Confections

Food & Drinks

In light of the new normal, we have seen how many, if not, most of the quarantined population have been pushed to revisit old hobbies or cultivate new ones not just to pass time, but, in many ways, bring a sense of normalcy in these uncertain times.

While the sad and alarming decline of employment opportunities has been felt all over the world, in the Philippines, we have seen a great number of Filipinos turn to artisanal creations sold online to augment halted cash flow, given the risks brought by the pandemic and the government-mandated restrictions.

For magazine and PR associate, turned marketing executive Isaiah Bruce and partner Jeck Gaddi, life in quarantine has propelled the pair in powering back the homemade dessert company Cookiechap, which was originally established in 2019. In between life as a marketing professional in a heavily corporate set-up, a fascination for baking cookies came to light, first as a weekend hobby that then turned into a full-fledged business through word of mouth before navigating the tricky world of social media marketing.

“I never really imagined myself donning a baking apron, to be honest. I would have never thought of even talking about building a business on food. But I’ve gained a lot of respect for the discipline that it takes to bake properly. It helped me in so many ways, really,” Bruce shares with a chuckle.

“Cookiechap was made out of love, really. I like to borrow that cliche. I can say that because it was born out of the simplest love for good dessert. I have a very particular taste I look for in cookies that I enjoy, and when I learned how to do it, the idea to share it to other people came second.”

Isaiah Bruce, the founder and baker behind the small business venture, Cookie Chap

From a fascination for baking coinciding with his search for the perfect dessert that he can make and enjoy himself, the small project that was born right at the comfort of his own kitchen slowly grew, banking on the impressive explosion of decadent flavors from its original chocolate chip, cream cheese red velvet, and peanut butter cocoa choco.

“I remember it came to a point that we were preparing for an order of 100 boxes last December. That’s when I knew, this is more than just a baking hobby for me. It’s given me something to get excited about. Especially during quarantine, when there’s always a possibility for even the biggest corporations to fold, we have made a more conscious effort to improve the brand and look at it as something that would sustain us this time of uncertainty,” he shares.

At the moment, with the pandemic continuing to threaten livelihoods of professionals like Bruce, an effort to stay afloat has become important now, more than ever. As of this writing, Cookiechap continues to accommodate orders through social media. The artisanal cookies get sold-out on a weekly basis, a departure from when it was first released to cater to friends and colleagues. Bruce also shares that with this continued success, development of new flavors are also underway.

Learn more and place your orders at Cookie Chap via their official Facebook page and on Instagram @cookiechapph