You might have seen it. In Market Fresh or Boat House or the Wellington County Marketplace. Or perhaps you ordered it to your house.
Local business Bliss Dough has rapidly been growing since it first launched in August with its products being sold city-wide in Guelph stores and through deliveries Monday to Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Whether it was for a student in the University of Guelph campus cramming for exams on campus or a professional at work craving something sweet, Bliss Dough created a quick reputation for a quick easy snack.
This led owners and married couple Jessica and Dave Hewitt to finally open a storefront for edible cookie dough lovers.
Jessica says the idea started last year.
“I always liked to eat cookie dough and would make Pinterest recipes for cookie dough for one,” says Jessica.
“Dave would work in security in grocery stores and would walk around all day looking for cookie dough to buy and couldn't find any.”
This led Dave to experiment with recipes in August of 2018 where he scrambled to make what his wife was looking for.
“So this was something that he decided he was going to try and do,” says Hewitt.
Hewitt then came up with six original recipes and perfected them using his brief experience from culinary school at Conestoga. And when he was convinced he made a quality product, he was ready to sell it for other cookie dough lovers.
So he launched a website with six cookie dough flavours along with an Instagram page promoting Bliss Dough, a cookie dough galore.
And to their surprise, it picked up a lot faster than they expected.
After seven months of their launch in November in which they only sold through deliveries, Bliss Dough opened its first store at 3 Watson Road South, Unit 6 mid-June.
“It was just supposed to be a side hustle and then very quickly Dave left his job in February and then I left my job end of March,” says Jessica who previously worked as an early childhood educator.
Now the business has expanded its products to include cookie dough ice cream that includes chocolate chip, peanut butter and dark chocolate flavours only available in the store to complement their original cookie dough line available for delivery as well which includes chocolate chip, oreo, funfetti, peanut butter, brownie and dark cafe mocha.
Because of the health concerns associated with eating raw flour in cookie dough, Bliss dough makes sure to heat treat their flour and eliminate any health risks associated with the consumption of raw flour.
Jessica says the response from the community when they discover a local edible cookie dough that delivers right to their door is extremely positive.
“A lot of people freak out. I've had people hug me,” says Jessica.
“I was at a bridal shower for a friend and someone said ‘wait! that's the cookie dough person?’ And she runs across the room and hugs me.”
She says a lot of people reach out to their business to express their thrill of discovering their products and their satisfaction with its taste.
“A lot of people are just surprised at how good it is,” says Jessica.
“Its all the ingredients that you would use to make cookie dough at home. We don’t use anything that you wouldn't use in your own kitchen,” says Jessica.
While they are contacted by people all over Canada for their products, Jessica says they're not looking to deliver out-of-the province just yet and are currently focusing on growing their business in Guelph.
With their recent move to Guelph in September 2018, Jessica says the support they received from the city is heartwarming with the community always looking to support local businesses.
“We love it. It's just a big community of small business owners and there's just a lot of support for small business owners,” says Jessica.
