Baking a Million-Dollar Brand with Loren Castle, Sweet Lorens
From Cookies to Customer Retention
October 24th, 2024 • 5 min read
Loren Castle’s journey from cancer survivor to founder of Sweet Loren’s, the #1 natural cookie dough brand in America, is nothing short of extraordinary. At just 22, Loren was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a life-altering moment that forever changed her outlook. Beating cancer ignited a passion for clean living and healthier choices. “Health became everything to me,” Loren recalls. “But I never wanted to be on a diet. I want to eat my favorite foods, and I have a huge sweet tooth, so that’s what made me start Sweet Loren’s.” This drive to find a balance between indulgence and health is what led Loren to start experimenting in her kitchen, creating cookie dough recipes that were both delicious and made with cleaner, simpler ingredients.
From a Toaster Oven to Over 25,000 Stores
The early days of Sweet Loren’s were far from glamorous. Loren recalls, “When I was the only employee at Sweet Loren’s, when it was just me and the cookies… I would take the subway with a toaster oven and spatula, and literally be that girl demoing in the aisle at Whole Foods… It was exhausting, you were freezing by the refrigerator section for four hours, but it was gold because you would meet hundreds of people and you would hear amazing, honest feedback.” Those direct interactions shaped the future of Sweet Loren’s, helping Loren refine both the product and the packaging.
Today, Sweet Loren’s products are sold in over 25,000 retailers, including CVS, Whole Foods, and Target. With allergen-friendly cookie dough, pizza dough, and breakfast biscuits, the brand has become a go-to for health-conscious consumers. “We started with cookie dough, delicious cookie dough that families would love - but (that) really solved a problem,” Loren explains. “Most baked goods, especially packaged baked goods sold in supermarkets use very processed ingredients, preservatives, and artificial flavors” Loren wanted to change that.
Listening to Customers and Evolving the Brand
Sweet Loren’s success is driven by customer feedback. “50% of our customers had never shopped cookie dough before because there was nothing really for them,” says Loren. The brand even launched a less-sugar line on demand. “We’ve iterated the product many times,” Loren says. “We're gluten free, we're dairy free, we're peanut and tree nut free. We're free of the top 14 allergens …that can scare off a lot of people that might be like ‘I don't eat gluten-free things - like that tastes gross!’ …it's just delicious you won't even know it's gluten-free!”
Sweet Success
Her entrepreneurial drive hasn’t gone unnoticed. Sweet Loren’s has been featured for three straight years on the Inc. 5000 list, and Loren was named on Inc.'s Female Founders 100. The brand has also been recognized by the Financial Times as one of the fastest-growing companies in America.
Loren’s goal is to ensure that no one has to compromise on taste or quality when choosing better-for-you options, making indulgence possible for all without sacrificing ingredients or affordability: “Our goal is to really solve a problem, make sure we're getting it at a price point that works with all major retailers. So we're sold in all the major supermarkets from Target to Whole Foods to Kroger, direct, so that it can really be accessible and for everyone - not just the Whole Foods buyer”.
Ready to taste the difference for yourself? Visit Sweet Loren’s website to explore her full range of delicious, inclusive products, and see why millions of people are choosing Sweet Loren’s for their healthier treat options.
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