时事资讯:巧克力曲奇女王的创业故事_时事

时事资讯:巧克力曲奇女王的创业故事

【英文原文】

Building a Chocolate Chip Empire

Bite into a Tate's Bake Shop chocolate chip cookie and you'll quickly realize that butter is the not-so-secret ingredient. The thin, crispy, caramel-tasting treats are the signature product of Kathleen King's Southampton, N.Y., bakery and the guilty pleasure of beach-bound Manhattanites, celebrity fans such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Rachael Ray, and cookie lovers around the country. Growing up on a Long Island farm, Ms. King began baking as a kid and now some four decades later sells her confections in 40 states to the tune of $6 million in annual revenue. Her wholesale facility in nearby East Moriches churns out 24 million cookies each year, sold in clear plastic bags for $5 a dozen at retailers such as Whole Foods, Gelson's and Central Market. Ms. King, 50 years old, today has 55 employees, two cookbooks and an ultimate plan to sell her company for a sweet price, of course.

Edited interview excerpts follow:

Q. What inspired you to start your own business?

A. I was baking and selling cookies at my dad's farm when I was 11. He said, 'You have to buy your own clothes for school,' so I said, 'OK.' When you grow up on a farm, you start working the day you start walking. We were raised in an independent self-sufficient way so it was just incredibly natural for me to finish college and create my own job. My mom told me about a fully equipped bakery for rent in Southampton. When I was 23, I bought the location I am still in today. At the time, it was just putting one foot in front of the other. I lived at home; I didn't have any major responsibilities. That's the beauty of being young and nave I didn't know what to fear.