Meet Meredyth Rotlisberger of Sweet Sugar Laine in Newnan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meredyth Rotlisberger.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story begins 51 years ago, 2800 miles from Atlanta in a small northern Canadian city in British Columbia called Fort St. John, mile 50 on the Alaska Highway.

After I graduated from high school, I moved to the big city of Vancouver, BC and attended BCIT – British Columbia Institute of Technology. I graduated from there in the early ’90s with a Mechanical Engineering Technology diploma. That diploma landed me some pretty incredible jobs. I worked in Vancouver for a few years with a few different natural gas pipeline companies. I moved back up North to take a job with a large Natural gas company and was the first female hired to work in the Pipeline department. I continued my education and earned the title as Pipeline Corrosion specialist. My office was essentially my truck and I worked out in the wilderness on remote logging roads… me and my chocolate lab, Levi. Every day was an adventure and I never knew what I may encounter, grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, lynx or maybe a moose. The weather as well was always fun, -40F in the winter never makes for a good day to be working outside.

I married my husband in 2001 in my home town and two weeks later, his job with Ritchie Bros Auctioneers took us to southern California. During our years in California, our son was born and I started a home-based quilting business called Crazy For Quilts, I  make custom quilts for customers. We lived in California for six years and then moved to Las Vegas where we lived for four years. In Vegas, I took a job with a longarm quilting machine company called Handi Quilter and became a National Educator for them. I traveled all over the US teaching quilters how to quilt their quilts using the longarm quilting machines that we sold. I LOVED my job! I was also working out of the house making quilts and doing longarm work on people’s quilt tops. I worked as a longarm quilter for about 12 years and have been published in a magazine and a book for my longarm work.

From Vegas, we moved back to Canada, this time to Beaumont, Alberta (just outside of Edmonton). At that time, I continued to quilt for people and I taught some quilting classes at a local quilt shop. We stayed in Alberta for four years and that is when we moved and landed here in Newnan, GA that was the fall of 2015.

In December of 2017, I mailed my last customer quilt back and decided to call it quits and take a break from quilting for other people. I have at least 35 quilt tops of my own that need to be finished and I thought it would be great to work on my own projects for a change.

Ever since I was a little girl my mom says I always busy doing something, I’m not good at sitting still! My mom taught me to sew and my grandma taught me to knit at a very young age. I have tried just about every craft that is out there, knitting, quilting, crochet, stitching, embroidery, pottery, and needlepoint. My hands are never idle and there is a craft project within reach anywhere in my house. Baking and cooking have been a part of my life since I was a young girl.

I was asked early that December to make some cookies for the neighborhood Christmas party. I had made cookies for a few events and so they knew I could make decorated sugar cookies. Well, by the end of that December I had made and sold about 50 dozen cookies to my neighbors.

Apparently, I was now in the cookie biz! Through word of mouth, my little business slowly got busier and busier. To the point where in June of 2018, I made the decision to make it official and got my Cottage food license and started my business Sweet Sugar Laine. Since then it has taken off like wildfire!

Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely not always a smooth road!

I have learned many lessons along the way….the most important being that I can do anything I put my mind to.

Working in the pipeline field and moving frequently has taught me that I can overcome adverse conditions and the challenge of living in new environments.

When I went to BCIT, I was one of two girls in a class of 150 boys. That experience made me realize that I’m up for any challenge. It was not always easy but my mom and dad were my greatest supporters and kept telling me that I can accomplish anything.

A big struggle of mine is that I’m a HUGE procrastinator, I can get more done in the n’th hour that I can in a whole week leading up to it. Time management is not something I’m very good at, which leaves me decorating cookies at 3 in the morning more times than I would like to admit to.

There have been many learning lessons in the past 18 months since I started doing cookies. Batches of cookies ruined and icing not quite right. I’ve just stuck with it and kept trying things until I got it figured out. I have been very lucky and have met some great cookiers that have helped me over the hurdles along the way.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Sweet Sugar Laine – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My business is only sugar cookies, so far!  Sweet Sugar Laine was really started as just a little something I could do on the side. I found out quite quickly, within a few months, that it was going to be more than that.

Through word of mouth and social media, it took off like crazy. In less than one year my Instagram account had grown to over 10K followers! I am truly amazed by that and so thankful to have so many people following me along my cookie journey.

The cookie that I bake is my grandmother’s old-fashioned sugar cookie recipe. One that I’ve been baking my whole life. My mom taught me a simple sugar glaze to put on them when I was young. In the past three years or so, I started getting into using royal icing, which is what you use to get the amazing colors and details on the cookies. I watched lots of videos and read lots of articles and kept practicing. There is still lots to learn.

In the beginning, I owned approximately 50 cookie cutters. At my last count I’m at 650 cutters and growing weekly.  When I started, I was buying lots of 3D printed cutters online. My son (15) at the time informed me that he could make them and I should quit spending so much money on cutters. My husband did the research and bought us a 3D printer. My son printed me my first cutter in about two days. We have since spent the past year fine-tuning the details and now have a product that I’m proud of and happy to sell. I love having the option to be able to print a specialty cutter whenever I want.

I started teaching cookie decorating classes in 2019. I have always been a people person and I really enjoy teaching! I do both private classes in people’s homes and I do group classes in a rented space.

I would say I’m known for my attention to details and that not only are my cookies beautiful but they also are very tasty. I get the comment all the time that they taste as good as they look.

I’m most proud of and amazed at how my business has grown and developed in just one year.  I have wonderful customers and am so thrilled see them coming back time after time.

My experience with all the crafting and especially the quilting I’ve done over the years help me with choosing colors and creating the details on cookies. I am a perfectionist in all that I do and that has transferred over nicely into the cookie world.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We are relatively new to Georgia, August 2015 is when we arrived in the South. We had never been to the South before and are really enjoying living here. We live out in Newnan and love it! We love that we are close enough to Atlanta that we can head in for dinner or an event.

We find that the term “Southern hospitality” is very true! We have met many wonderful people and are so happy we chose the neighborhood that we did.

Atlanta is an amazing city! I love all the different areas, so many great places to see and such amazing restaurants.

Our favorite thing to do is to attend the Atlanta United soccer games. We are founding members and season ticket holders and have thoroughly enjoyed every game.

As with any big city, traffic is always the downfall. I wish that we had a better selection of stores South of the city as what is available North of the city.

Pricing:

• Cookies range from $3.50-$6 each
• I have a 2 dozen minimum
• I recommend booking 8 weeks or more in advance.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/sweetsugarlaine
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/sweetsugarlaine
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7UFkyTNg1kQGBKJQOKaWwA

Image Credit:
All the cookie photos were taken by myself, The photos of me were taken by Paul Ryan Media

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