Meet a Merchant: Susan

In Brooklyn, New York, Susan runs a small-batch bakery called Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop.

“We use mostly organic ingredients, no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives for a taste that is wholesome and delicious,” says Susan. “We produce handcrafted cookies, cookie pies, blondies, brownies, and a hot chocolate mix. We bake the cookies you loved growing up.”

Once a food blogger who baked cookies on the side, Susan is now a full-time entrepreneur—no easy feat: “​​The food industry is definitely very male-dominated,” she says.

“I feel the most of it when I do trade shows. That’s sort of where you get the old boy’s club a lot more. Because there's still a lot of male buyers that are out there who have been doing it for 30 years and gloss over you.”

Despite the challenges, Susan continues to build her business, which led her to the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods.

“One of the great things about the Accelerator program was that they specifically sought out either women-owned entrepreneurs or minority-owned entrepreneurs,” she says. “So they’re giving us those chances and experiences that are normally overlooked.”

The DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods gave Susan a chance to improve her entrepreneurial skillset, to network and build community, and to have her delicious cookies featured in DashMart.

So far, it’s worked beautifully. DashMart “is a natural extension,” Susan says. “We're an impulse buy. Our cookies come in packs of two. So, it’s that great add-on product when you’re picking up some last minute things. And you're like, ‘I have a craving for something sweet, but I don’t really want to commit to a full box of cookies, so let me just get a pack of two cookies.’”

“You can save one for later. But it’s kind of hard to do because our cookies are that good,” she laughs.