The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan 607: How I Built a $120M/Year Cookie Business From My Appartment | Loren Castle
Nov 20, 2025
Loren Castle, founder of Sweet Loren’s, built a $120M cookie dough brand after her cancer diagnosis sparked a clean food mission. She shares how she bootstrapped from $25K, landed Whole Foods with no packaging, and transformed her products to be allergen-free, creating a distinct market niche. Loren emphasizes the importance of customer obsession and mentorship in her journey, detailing how demos and packaging choices helped attract shoppers. Her story is a powerful lesson in resilience, brand positioning, and the pursuit of a purpose-driven business.
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Illness Sparked The Business
- Loren Castle turned her cancer recovery into a nutrition and baking obsession that led to product creation.
- Friends loved her cookies and that early feedback sparked the idea to build Sweet Lauren's.
Whole Foods Took A Chance Early
- Loren secured a Whole Foods meeting via a classmate who worked nights at the store and sold the idea without finished packaging.
- The buyer tasted her cookies and became her first customer, launching the business into retail.
Launch With Tiny Runs And Live Demos
- Start as small as possible and make small factory runs to avoid huge inventory costs.
- Demo in-store yourself to gather direct feedback before scaling distribution.