Meet Shawnee Coward of Shawnee’s Goodies in Snellville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawnee Coward.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Shawnee. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
It all began with a dream of one day owning my own business! Some may say life has not been very kind to me, but the rough times have enabled me to see and want something greater for me and my children. I was homeless with my family for most of my teen years living with whomever would open their doors to us. Then in college, I ended up pregnant and homeless but managed to still graduate with my Bachelors of Science degree in Dietetics/Nutrition Science while living in my car. Being a Black, educated woman in Southern CA and single parent was another hurdle. So I decided I needed to bring more to the table and obtained my MBA while working full-time, raising my son, and maintaining my sanity. Unfortunately, that still was not enough. I began to get depressed, gain weight, and lose hope. Fast forward to 10 years ago, I met my husband and life abruptly changed. But, I still was missing something, so I decided to have weight loss surgery. One big problem…my insurance did not cover any of the expenses. So I decided to use my baking and cooking skills to pay for the surgery. Now, 130lbs lighter and two years in business, life is beginning to change. Business is consistent and stable.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road as a business owner has not been as rough as I thought I would be. For me, the most difficult part to owning a small business has been pricing. There are so many other bakers/bakeries in the Atlanta area, but we all do things just a bit different. But consumers just see product and price- so sometimes it makes it difficult to be noticed in all of the fluff of my particular industry. Another challenge has been finding my niche. I graduated from college with my degree in Nutrition Science, so I know all about good and bad foods. I cooked in a commercial kitchen all throughout college as well (someone had to pay for my education). So I struggle with finding who my niche customer is at times based on my knowledge of food and what I know I should be baking and cooking. But, I am making changes to remedy that as well.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Shawnee’s Goodies story. Tell us more about the business.
I own Shawnee’s Goodies. Shawnee’s Goodies is a home-based, licensed bakery. I specialize in making all of my baked goods entirely from scratch. When I say ‘from scratch’, I make my own brown sugar, I grind my own cinnamon and grains, I dry fruit to make fruit sugars…I do as much as I can in my kitchen instead of buying pre-made ingredients that contain preservatives. I am known for my products tasting like they are homemade. Customers often tell me that they can taste every ingredient–like a dance in their mouth. My most popular item is my Apple Caramel Pound Cake made with fresh apples, homemade caramel sauce, fresh ground cinnamon, and more from scratch ingredients. In creating Shawnee’s Goodies, I wanted to prepare food that would remind people of when they were young and helped grandma or grandpa cook in the kitchen. What sets me apart from other bakeries is making everything from scratch. This has become rarity among bakers and cooks in general due to our fast and electronic society. But, sometimes you just have to slow it down and enjoy each and every bite of your food, and that is where you will find Shawnee’s Goodies.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The food industry is constantly changing. Unfortunately, everyone wants fast and cheap food. In most cases, taste is not even considered anymore. Food consumers have gotten so used to how fast food and grocery store baked good taste, that when they taste a lemon cake, for example, made with fresh, real lemons they are confused. Either they do not like the real lemons or they begin to reminisce about their mother making a cake that tasted like it. With more fast food chains be created, food being mass-produced, and baked goods being prepared in factories and stored in freezers and shelves for months or longer, I think that the bakery industry will continue to move in this fast and cheap direction. But, there will always be a place for ‘from scratch’ bakers. The taste of home cooking and baking will always surpass its processed competitor.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shawneesgoodies.com
• Phone: 770-743-2382
• Email: contact@shawneesgoodies.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/shawneesgoodies
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shawneesgoodies

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