Starting a business during a pandemic presented more than its share of challenges, but a Lantzville woman now sells her products to major U.S. retail chains and is about to appear on Dragons’ Den.
Sarah Neal makes InstaCake Cards, greeting cards with a cake in each one.
“I have a food degree, so I’ve always worked with food, but I always did cake decorating and baking cakes is a fun thing to do for friends and family,” she said.
Her business idea popped up one day as she was wondering if there was an easy way to send a cake to her family in England, an expensive proposition.
Neal started experimenting, first with a cake in a mug, but she wanted something nicer. She started experimenting with packaging and came up with a folding packet that serves as a baking case.
“Then I thought if I’m going to do that then we need frosting and if you need frosting you’ve got to have sprinkles and if it’s a birthday cake you’ve just got to have a candle and, also, there was a moment when I said to my son, ‘Oh, you need to put four tablespoons of water,’ and he said, ‘Which one is the tablespoon?’” she said.
So, Neal invented a fold-able tablespoon for the kit.
“So, as long as you have four tablespoons of water and a microwave, you can make it anywhere in the world,” she said.
The COVID-19 pandemic struck just after Neal started the business with employee Breanna Hardman in an office above Neal’s garage. The company was plagued by shipping and supply issues associated with the pandemic, which included ordering special machinery to pack the frosting and cake mixes, but has since grown into a 4,000-square-foot commercial packing area and office in Parksville with five employees.
Every InstaCake Card includes the company’s patented pop-up baking case, cake mix, frosting, sprinkles, mixing spoon, water measuring spoon, and cake topper. The ingredients just need 60 seconds in a microwave and are designed so that anyone three-years-old and up can make an InstaCake, according to a company press release.
Neal said 80 per cent of the company’s sales are in the U.S., to retail chains that include American Eagle, Bed Bath and Beyond and Learning Express. Sales in Canada are mostly through boutique stores.
Launching any business is no small task and often requires a lot of cash, so Neal contacted Dragons’ Den where she pitched her product this past spring in hopes of finding financing partners. To find out if the Dragons thought InstaCake Cards are a recipe for success, the episode airs Thursday, Oct. 19, at 8:30 p.m. on CBC and can also be viewed on the CBC Gem streaming service. Full episodes with behind-the-scenes content can also be viewed online at www.cbc.ca/dragonsden.
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chris.bush@nanaimobulletin.com
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