The smell of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies drifts from a firing oven, not in a bakery downtown, but from a student’s kitchen, where a thriving business is already in full swing.
Finn’s passion for baking and entrepreneurial spirit combined into a thriving local delivery business, but he’s no amateur.
“When I was younger, my mom and I made sugar cookies together—frosted sugar cookies. My grandma also helped me get into it. She got me a signed Martha Stewart cookbook.
I started trying recipes from that book and other places, and it grew into this,” Finn said.
Now spending up to 20 hours a week on baking, packaging, and distributing, Finn’s bakery, Fig and Sage, has become more than a hobby.
“I sell mostly to kids my age, plus older kids in other grades. I also get orders from family friends, sometimes for their businesses. One of our family friends is a realtor and ordered between 50 to 60 dozens of cookies once,” Finn said.
Undeterred by larger orders, he maintains a strict quality-control process.
“I try to keep everything very high quality. I always bake more than I need, and afterward I go through them. If some got burnt, I won’t include those. I make sure the best ones go into the boxes first,” Finn said.
Fig and Sage’s selection includes chocolate chip, caramel chocolate chip, molasses white chocolate macadamia nut, and snickerdoodle.
“Recently I’ve been trying to improve my recipe a bit by changing the size of the chocolate chips to see how it affects taste, getting the ratio right so it’s not too much chocolate or not enough.”
Finn remains ambitious, seeking to expand, but understanding that he must balance his business with his academics.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about scaling. The hard part is balancing it with school. If you make a contract with someone, you have to deliver a certain amount every week – even when you’re busy – so it becomes your priority. For now, I’m content, but I’m thinking about scaling in future years,” Finn said.
Finn focuses on local connections and word of mouth to advertise.
“Sometimes I bring cookies to school and hand them out, and people ask to order. Also, my mom will bring cookies to something at work, and people there try them and then want to order,” Finn said.
Fig and Sage provided cookies for the Play Production class during tech for their run of “Laughingstock.”
“His cookies were good, especially the chocolate chip ones, and it was really nice of him to bring them,” freshman Joseph Plowman said.