Real Sweet Treats
We’re all a fan of desserts – from cakes and cupcakes to tarts. They taste even better when it’s made with passion, which is something the founder of Real Sweet Treats has! We managed to get a hold of Renee, the founder and baker of this homemade dessert shop to learn about how it all started.
Introducing Renee, The Founder and Baker of Real Sweet Treats
“Hi! My name is Renee, I’m the founder and baker of Real Sweet Treats.”
Coming from a background of an entire family consisting of extreme foodies and excellent cooks, it’s no surprise how Renee got influenced as well! An avid lover of desserts and pastries, ever since she was 9 years old, she started baking for fun and eventually sold cookies and cupcakes to her friends and family.
After graduating from high school, her passion for baking didn’t end there. She went ahead to pursue a diploma in Culinary Arts, focusing on learning about the hot kitchen instead of diving into pastries.
“I have a diploma in Culinary Arts and not baking because I wanted to know more about the hot kitchen before focusing more on pastry. But I also attended lots of pastry courses in between my time in college.”
How Did Real Sweet Treats Come About
First and foremost, how did this whole bakery business started? According to Renee, Real Sweet Treats focuses highly on premium, quality ingredients while the passion behind creating each and every product is the main highlight of the brand.
“We focus on the details and we always test run our recipes. I always ask myself, would I buy that? Would I enjoy that? How would I enjoy that? I put my feet in my customer’s shoes and view their point of buying,” Renee shared.
What Makes Them Stand Out
With many kinds of desserts, cakes and pastries found on their menu, we wondered what are the popular options customers would go for. Apparently, their ultimate bestsellers would be their tarts! “Before we could barely sell 2 tarts a week and now we are selling like hotcakes on a good day!” Renee excitedly exclaims.
They do their best to cater to all different types of customers and their sweet tooth. “We won’t sell an item we won’t enjoy. We have a fair love for all of our items.”
The Journey Isn’t Exactly Smooth Sailing
Just like every other F&B business out there, it isn’t always rainbows and sunshines throughout the journey. For Renee, there were several times where items would go missing when dealing with a 3rd party delivery service. “The customer threatened to expose me and said all sorts of mean comments towards me, even though we were instructed to leave at a place she instructed me to.”
It was indeed a stressful time for her, but nevertheless, she managed to power through!
Another thing that’s a slight challenge is when it comes to deciding a certain price on her items. “Pricing my items was really difficult in the beginning, being questioned time to time. However, customers who buy from me always tell me how happy and satisfied they are with the quality of the pastry as well as the taste. They mentioned how they would repurchase from me!”
“And yes, they all do return with their friends and family! I’m very grateful for my customers who have supported me since Day 1.”
The third challenge that they faced back then was the inability to quality control their items. To ensure the quality of every item, they were doing everything at the last minute, making sure they were in excellent condition before delivery. It’s not a challenge anymore now, though!
Renee excitedly shared, “We faced sleepless nights, losing track of time etc. But finally, I eventually took over my family’s backyard and renovated it into a space I call my heaven – producing all the pastry we sell in a space that we are finally comfortable in!”
Real Sweet Treats – The Ultimate Dessert Shop
If you’re planning on following her footsteps, Renee’s advice would be to take things one at a time and always appreciate any kind of feedback, no matter how good or bad they are.
She also has a life motto which she lives by, which is to always ‘Believe in yourself.’
As for Real Sweet Treats’ future plans, they’re planning to expand and start supplying cafes in the near future. Many of their followers have asked whether they have started – which is why they plan on doing so very soon.
Real Sweet Treats
Instagram | Facebook
