Splurge Creates Branded Cookies

Julie Winer and her husband always wanted to start their own business.

When they were living in Houston they imagined starting a cafe. They even had a business plan to create one when they moved to the northeast and eventually settled in Short Hills.

But the venture would be very risky and cost a lot of money to start the cafe, Winer said.

"You need to do at least $1 million (in business) your first year just to break even," she said.

So they decided to start small and do something local, and Splurge Bakery launched from one line in the business plan.

Splurge Bakery creates sugar cookies with a personalized message. Any image or message can be cast on the cookies in icing. Clients range from people having a kids birthday party to corporations looking for something to hand out at trade shows.

"I felt we needed a hook," Winer said. "My husband wanted me to make the best chocolate chip cookies, but that's really tough."

The cookies with a personalized image, however, has many different uses, she said, which is why it became ideal.

The first cookies she made were for an American Jewish Committee event with an author, and Winer created a cookie with the book cover. That was over two years ago, and she's been busy every since.

"It's all been word of mouth," she said. "It's been a grassroots business. It's almost like it's been a secret. But every time cookies go out, I get back more interest."

Since then she's created cookies for a variety of sources, including birthdays, graduations and for corporate trade shows. But she also creates cookies for local charities, donating the proceeds to those organizations.

It includes the Susan G. Komen for the Cure's North Jersey Chapter, which is based in Summit. Splurge Bakery is currently running a special on a tin with cookies with inspirational sayings for Mother's Day. All of the money raised will go to the North Jersey Chapter.

The relationship started through a networking group and with gift certificates for the chapter's annual auction. The relationship expanded this year with the Komen run at Branch Brook Park in Newark. The tins of cookies were sold, but Splurge also sold individual cookies commemorating the run.

While the tins of cookies are being sold for Mother's Day, Winer said she's getting a lot of business from people who want to give a breast cancer patient an inspirational gift.

Winer has supported other community organizations, including the Education Foundation of Millburn-Short Hills. She created favors for the annual fund-raiser. Residents at JESPY House in South Orange also assist Winer by putting the labels on the individual cookies.

"I'd much rather bring in as much community as possible," she said. "I'm serious about building a business, but the more successful I am the more I can do to give back."

Winer said she hopes to work with Make-A-Wish Foundation in the future with the "You're the Artist" line of cookies. She hasn't reached out to the organization yet, she said, but her idea is to hold a contest for children to submit drawings to put on the cookies.

The cookies are labor-intensive with every image added in a hand-applied process. Graphic designers in New York create the images for the cookies. Then the bakers ice each cookie and hand apply the images.

"The labor is unbelievable," Winer said.

Each cookie costs $2.75, and there is also the option to create a tin with a logo. While some use Splurge for anniversary and birthday parties, Winer said her biggest business is from corporations.

"It's important to brand your gifts," she said. "Then people know where they came from."

Additionally, corporations view Splurge's cookies as a low-cost solution to getting their brand out, she said.

Splurge Bakery, though, doesn't have a retail outlet. It doesn't even have its own kitchen. The company rents space at restaurant.mc to do all of its baking. Winer said she is looking for her own kitchen and would like to stay in town, but she may look to Summit.

There are no plans, however, to open a retail shop.

And the plans to open a cafe? Those have disappeared too.

"It's a tough business," Winer said.