Running A Small Business
Starting Dulce Tradicion
Starting and running a small business is no easy task, but Dulce Tradicion owner Carmen Moran was ready for all the challenges ahead when she began her cookie business in 2017. With the help of the South Valley Economic Development Center (SVEDC), a local non-profit, Carmen was able to establish her LLC and become a business owner. Since then she has been working hard to grow her business and share her cookies with others. There is a lot of work that goes into running a small business, but one of the most important steps is making the product.
Making the Biscochitos
Being a small business, Carmen does not currently have any employees to help her with her products. This means that each week she goes to a kitchen and handmakes all of the cookies needed for the week herself. It often takes up to six hours to finish preparing all of the cookies for the week. Luckily Carmen often enlists her children to help her in the kitchen.
A huge resource for Dulce Tradicion has been the industrial kitchen provided by the Food Industry Incubation Program at SVEDC. Being a small business means that you have limited access to approved kitchens in which you can prepare your products. Luckily the SVEDC has given Carmen access to a fully equipped industrial kitchen where she can prepare her delicious cookies.
Handmaking each cookie is a tedious process, but Carmen is happy to do it if it means more people get to enjoy her cookies.
Selling the Biscochitos
Once the Biscochitos have been made and packaged accordingly, it is time to sell the cookies! Dulce Tradicion cookies can be found in local grocery stores like El Naranjero. Beyond local stores, Carmen has been able to expand her sales through the Delicious New Mexico Program. This program allows local New Mexican farmers, ranchers, and food producers to expand their sales channels by placing local products in various stores and encouraging online purchases.
Along with physical stores, one of Dulce Tradicion’s favorite places to sell cookies is at local farmer’s markets. The La Familia Grower’s Market is one of the most popular markets in which Dulce Tradicion sells its products. These markets are great because they allow local businesses to come together and share their products with each other and community members.
Although running a small business requires a lot of hard work, many small business owners are up for that challenge if it means they get to share the work that they are passionate about with others. So the next time you decide to go shopping, make sure to think of your local small businesses!
