Community Highlights: Meet Charlotte & Joel Johnson of Snap Happy Biscotti

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlotte & Joel Johnson.

Hi Charlotte & Joel, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It’s tricky to pinpoint where this started, in a way. I was born a Baker, it’s my maiden name. So there’s some nominative determinism there perhaps. I first started baking from scratch for my roommates during my freshman year of college and I’d baked quiche, scones, layer cakes, and cookies all before Christmas break. It was a lot more gratifying than my coursework so I started researching culinary school. Unfortunately, certain family members weren’t supportive. I got into administrative work and just looked for any excuse I could to feed people for the next 20 years.

I met Joel in July of 2022, and he’s been my hype man from the beginning. Joel is my first taste tester and the first person I aim to impress with anything I cook or bake. He started encouraging me very early on to research selling at farmers markets but I couldn’t justifty duplicating what other bakers were already doing so well.

After we married, Joel started sharing my bakes with his coworkers at Trader Joe’s, sparking custom requests. Meanwhile, I was bringing weekend bakes to my job at an environmental firm—eventually graduating from the owner’s 60th birthday cake to full-fledged, themed Friday meals for the staff. The demand was there, but the timing still wasn’t right.

At the beginning of 2025, Joel had to stop working due to chronic spinal issues. By that Thanksgiving, navigating a single income meant getting creative with holiday gifts. I wanted to make something edible but strictly shelf-stable. Biscotti came up because Joel’s mother loves it, and it wouldn’t spoil. I joke that Joel finally asked me to start a business on the right day. We jumped in, registered the business, and while the rest isn’t quite history yet, we have to start somewhere.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been as smooth as it might appear! With a single income, our budget is razor thin. But in all aspects of life, I’m a creative problem solver. Limitations just mean we get to think outside of the box. You might think a lean biscotti business restricted by the cost of ingredients or shelf-stability constraints would feel stuck, but those exact limitations forced us into some of our most exceptional, maximalist flavor executions.

Deciding who we want to be has also been a challenge. Early on, we chased every avenue—wholesale, distribution, mail order—just to prove we could. We gave away so much free product to people who happily accepted it but never called us back. It taught us the hard lesson of targeting our energy toward partners who truly align with our brand.

We also incorrectly assumed that if a market accepted our application, we should attend. A seasoned vendor at an event in Avondale Estates set us straight: ‘If you’re selling a five-dollar product, you have no business paying a $250 booth fee.’ It was a massive wake-up call about overhead. We realized we had to be highly strategic about where we set up our tables.

The reality of entrepreneurship is that not everyone is going to support the businesses that follow them. You have to prepare for the ‘no’ or the silence of an unanswered email without letting it eat you alive. You steel yourself and channel that frustration into productivity. The irony is that by navigating that fog and figuring out what we ought to be, I’ve come full circle to that late-teenage dream of owning a brick-and-mortar bakery.

We’ve been impressed with Snap Happy Biscotti, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Snap Happy Biscotti is a North Georgia micro bakery crafting maximalist flavors designed to honor tradition while appealing to modern palates.

Tuscan biscotti originated nearly 700 years ago to be paired with red wine. Snap Happy engineers their biscotti for the 21st century, and we highly recommend dunking in whatever tastes right — from dark beer to the ice cold milk of your choice. The customer is always right when they’re enjoying Snap Happy. Our biscotti have spectacular capillary action meant to absorb the perfect amount of liquid without turning to crumbs in the bottom of a cup.

Brand-wise, we proudly push boundaries; Snap Happy is excited to announce we have invented a completely original pastry recipe to be unveiled later this summer. By utilizing centuries-old baking techniques, we want jaws to drop and mouths to water. Modern bakers are fusing time-tested methods with unapologetic authenticity and we have loved getting to join that community.

A curated selection of Snap Happy Biscotti can be found at Giga-Bites Café in Marietta and we have a booth at the Canton Farmers Market every Saturday morning until the end of August. We are @snaphappybiscotti on Instagram and that is the best place to find out where we’re going to be and what we’re bringing with us.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to us is building a life of security, gratitude, and intentional joy. We want to be able to take care of ourselves as we age, give back to the families who have done so much for us, and take care of our pets who give us unconditional love.

For a long time, things felt bleak—we’ve never taken a vacation together, and we didn’t have a wedding or a honeymoon. But we refuse to live in regret. Today, we choose to build a business and a life that are deeply fulfilling right now, ensuring that every step we take is something we look forward to.

Pricing:

• Single biscotto: $5
• The Mix Tape: $10
• Terrazzini chewy loaded cookie: $5

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.snaphappybiscotti.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snaphappybiscotti/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Snap-Happy-Biscotti/61588255318186/