The Story
Kathy Leskow was a stay-at-home mom who started off baking cookies in her kitchen and selling them at her local farmers’ market. But that wasn’t enough, so she expanded to a few more markets. Soon her oven couldn’t keep up with the new demand, so she bought a commercial oven, and before she knew it, Kathy was running a fully-functional, health board-certified bakery out of her basement with a dozen staff and stalls at farmers’ markets across the province.
Kathy secured a permanent home for Confetti Sweets in 2014 with her first storefront.
The Challenges
In 2017, Confetti Sweets had to adjust pricing to compensate for ever-increasing labour and food costs. This challenge was a great concern for them as the happiness of their customers is extremely important. In releasing a statement via their social media channels, they were able to openly communicate with their fans and avoid any backlash.
Another challenge that Kathy faced was when one of Confetti Sweets’ stores had a lease change, which made it no longer a feasible location. Kathy decided to close the doors and seek out a smaller space to re-open nearby. It was a risk, but with the smaller footprint of the new store and the busier new location, the move should prove beneficial.
Philanthropy
Donating to charity is a large part of Confetti Sweets’ business, and Kathy is a big supporter of local community causes. Not only does Kathy’s giving nature permeate her entire business, but it inspires her customers and staff as well.
Confetti Sweets has a program called “Cookies For a Cause” where the leftover cookies are frozen then sold at a discounted rate, and $1 from every bag goes to charity. Kathy empowers her staff to donate gift certificates and cookies when donation requests come in, allowing the entire team to feel the positive impact of contributing to the various causes of the community.
Confetti Sweets also has a fundraising program that many local sports teams, schools, and other causes in the communities where they operate. People can purchase Confetti Sweets cookies at a discounted rate and sell them at full retail value, keeping the difference to go towards their cause or initiative. Confetti Sweets is proud to have helped such a variety of people and causes.
Future Plans
Confetti Sweets has plans for “world cookie domination”. They are currently working on expanding their retail grocery reach to all of Western Canada Overwaitea stores. They will also be increasing the number of brick and mortar locations to support the brand, with a third expansion for Calgary in the works.
