The Cooling Rack | Application Preview
The Cooling Rack is applying for government grants to support their expansion efforts. Current limitations include operating in a cramped 660 square foot building with only two house ovens and insufficient workspace for production. The funding will facilitate moving to a larger location where they can acquire commercial equipment, enabling them to meet growing demand.
Their business strategy focuses on upgrading their facilities to accommodate new commercial ovens, refrigerators, and mixers, which will significantly increase production capacity. Currently, they can only bake a limited number of cookies, but with new equipment, they anticipate a much higher output. Additionally, a larger space would allow them to hold decorating classes onsite, eliminating the need to rent external venues.
The business prides itself on offering unique custom sugar cookies made from a beloved family recipe, filling a specific niche in their community with no direct competitors in the local market. They have cultivated a loyal customer base and attract new customers daily. A strategic move to a more advantageous location is expected to boost visibility and customer traffic.
While their closest competitor is Pop's Ice Cream shop—focused on a variety of ice cream and pastries—The Cooling Rack distinguishes itself by specializing in custom desserts. The unique offerings include cakes, cookies, brownies, and traditional family recipes, giving them a competitive edge in the local market.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 32082583033
Location: La Vernia, TX, United States
Length of Operation: 1-5
Number of Employees: 1-10 Employees
Annual Gross Income: Less than $100k
Annual Gross Expense: Less than $100k
Open to Loans: YES
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Funding Usage
The funding will help us get into a new location and buy all new equipment. Currently, we are in a building that is 660 sqft and working with two house ovens and a regular refrigerator. Our workspace is only 300 sqft and is a tight squeeze for two people. With a new location, we can hire more people and buy all new commercial equipment to help with our supply and demand.
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Business Plan
We plan to grow our business by getting a new location and updating all of our equipment. Our location is small; we need more room for commercial ovens, refrigerators, mixers, and decorating tables. We are working on two house ovens and can only make a dozen cookies on each stove. When we get new commercial ovens, we can cook around 50 cookies in the oven. A commercial refrigerator will hold bulk ingredients, and bigger mixers will make more product. That will help us with the supply and demand we are facing now. We also host decorating classes in different locations. If we had a bigger location, we could host it at the new location and not worry about paying fees for a vendor's location. We make custom sugar cookies. We don't know of any brick and mardor in our area that makes custom sugar cookies in their bakery. Our sugar cookies are our grandmother's recipe that we love to share with our customers. We have an excellent loyal customer base and constantly have new people come in daily. A new location in a better spot will help drive more customers to us. Baked goods are always in demand. Someone is always having a party or needs a sweet treat.
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Self Identified Competition
Pop's Ice Cream shop and bakery would be our closest competitors, but they make pastries and serve ice cream. We make dessert treats in our bakery. Besides HEB bakery, the closed sweet treat shop is 30 minutes from our town. Pop's Ice Cream serves a variety of ice cream and pastries in the storefront. We make custom cakes and sugar cookies by order, and in our storefront, we have cookies, cupcakes, brownie bars, and our great-grandmother's banana pudding.
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Contact Applicant
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