Meet Brooke Orist: Bakery Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brooke Orist and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brooke, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
When starting my business, I knew I needed to keep my full-time job to continue to meet my financial obligations and I had limited savings. I didn’t want to start the business with significant financial debt, so renting a facility that met our needs was our best option rather than renting a space and purchasing all the needed equipment. Working full-time during the day gave me limited hours to operate the business, but it was a good starting point. I could test my concept without taking too big of a risk and sinking myself financially.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

At Sasquatch Cookies, we strive to care for people, provide an exceptional product, bring fun and humor to our community, and give back. This has been our heartbeat from the very beginning. It’s been a challenge getting to where we are today, but it has been totally worth it. When we started the business, we had to remain in our full-time jobs and do this business on the side, working typically eighty to ninety hours a week between the two jobs. Since the business was new and slowly growing, none of the owners took any pay and this continued for the first two and half years of the business. It was challenging to remain motivated and hopeful when all our energy, time, and resources were being consumed by the business. Ultimately, this developed our resolve and commitment to Sasquatch Cookies and continually brought us back to why we do this: we want to make a small difference in our community through some baked goodness. In this last year, Sasquatch Cookies has grown exponentially with the opening of our storefront. We’re overwhelmed with gratitude by how the Colorado Springs community has come alongside us and we’ve continued to grow even in the midst of the pandemic. In the next year, we are excited to share that we will be opening a second location concept on the West side of town near Garden of the Gods!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many great places here! The bread, and summer pizza, from Nightinggale Bread transports you to Europe’s finest bakeries. Marigold’s Café is a local legend, especially with their cake selection. There’s a new part of downtown being developed with so many amazing places to eat: Dos Tacos, COATI, Street Car520 to name a few. There are numerous cozy, inviting coffee shops around town: Loyal Coffee, Building Three, Third Space, MoGlo Espresso, WayFinder, and many more. And, of course, you have to check out the breweries. Red Leg, Goat Patch, Whistle Pig, and Bristol are all personal favorites.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have been immensely supported by my family from the very start of my business. They have volunteered their time, resources, and skills, helping form the business into what it is today. I also started with business partners, Kate Zweber, Jen Buckholdt, and Cassie Thomas, and without them, this would never have been possible.

Website: www.sasquatchcookies.com
Instagram: sasquatch.cookies
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-orist-88360080/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sasquatchco