Sweet treats are always in demand, and two Cavaliers have risen to the challenge by forming their own unique online bakeshops. Juniors Isabella Alvarez and Abigail Felan have taken advantage of their culinary skills and combined them with their love for baking to form successful businesses selling all kinds of desserts including cookies, cakes and brownies.

Alvarez formed her business, “Isa’s Sweets & Co.” in August of this year thanks to her brother consistently encouraging her and insisting that her desserts were delicious enough to make a profit off. Starting a bakery was the perfect opportunity for Alvarez as she has always enjoyed baking as a hobby and is very innovative, never afraid to try out a new original recipe. Besides running her own business, Alvarez is an International Baccalaureate student, so she has had to find a way to balance her academics and her store. She does this by finishing all her school work and taking orders during the week and using her Fridays and Saturdays to bake and distribute orders. She does not do it alone though; Alvarez’s boyfriend helps out in the kitchen and handles deliveries.

“My favorite thing about owning my own business is the feedback I get from customers…To hear the reviews I get from people warms my heart, I never thought my sweets would be that good that I would get the constant support of my friends and family,” junior Isabella Alvarez said.
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She sells a wide variety of treats; several types of cookies, brownies and almond cakes are available and add-ons like marshmallows and drizzles are always an option. Additionally, all recipes are Alvarez’s own that she has developed over the years. For the holidays, she creates special desserts such as her Peppermint Love brownie with crushed peppermint and white chocolate chips.

Alvarez is using her business for good, as well. She is teaming up with the Ronald McDonald House and other small businesses to provide the less fortunate with goods and meals this holiday season. As for her future with her company, while Alvarez does not plan to pursue a culinary career or open a physical location to sell her sweets, she does plan to continue her business as long as she can. Alvarez loves running her business because the constant support and positive feedback from her customers, friends and family make it all worthwhile.

Junior Abigail Felan is another Cavalier who has created her own sweets shop, “Abi’s brownies”; the name is lowercase because she appreciated the special informality of it. Felan started her business three years ago when she realized she could make a profit off the brownies that she had been making and bringing to school just for her friends. She started out selling individual brownies at her former school with her friends by her side helping her constantly improve her recipe. She made the business more official a year later when she created an Instagram account for it which she continues to post on in her free time. While her mother and sister are always there for company and moral support, Felan manages everything, baking and packaging, all by herself.

“My favorite part about my brownie business is that I can make a profit doing something I enjoy. I love making my brownies because it has become second nature. I also enjoy my social media advertising because that comes easily to me,” junior Abigail Felan said.

Although balancing a business, school and extracurriculars has been challenging, Felan has persisted, using an organized system for maintaining her company. All week she advertises her products and takes orders, then on Thursdays she bakes and Friday she packages and delivers her brownies. Buying in bulk has also helped her to avoid having to frequently spend time buying ingredients. Felan is a natural at running her business; she loves to make her brownies and social media advertising has been no trouble for her.

Felan’s brownies are made using her own recipe, which is constantly developing as she finds new ways to make her sweets the best they can be. In addition, she adds original toppings to her brownies based on what is trending and in demand. Felan is unsure of where her business will go after high school, but she knows that she does not want it to end.

Both Alvarez and Felan are incredible entrepreneurs, doing something they love to make a profit. Even when having to balance their businesses with their studies, it is clear that they have put their all into their unique and delicious creations.