Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna and Constantin Oliinyk.
Hi Anna and Constantin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
All the most amazing stories begin long before you understand what this will mean in your life. Our story started in the UK, where we studied for several years. For some period, we were hosted by a 73-years old lady. Looking back, we understand that we have never met a brighter person. She had three “signature dishes” – lasagna, Christmas pudding, and gingerbread cookies. Namely, she happily shared her recipe with us, and we became great friends. So precisely this old-fashioned English recipe of gingerbread cookies with the little touches we’ll use in our work.
But how we started decorating and selling cookies?
Now when we go back to the past, no one would ever believe we would be cookie decorators and have a business like that—a University degree in the UK, Ph.D. in economics, and planning weddings and events. Our life has never been connected with drawing or baking, but we have always been drawn to creativity. And most importantly, we always wanted to do something unique. And when we were allowed to prove ourselves, the result was short of coming. It all started on Christmas Eve, 2015th, when our son was 3.5 y.o., and our daughter was just one.
A friend came to us on New Year’s Eve, seeing another “creation” of New Year’s cookies for the family. She asked: “Why don’t you sell your cookies?” – “What?” I replied, “There are a lot of homemade confectioners. And I’m not of them.” She answered me: “Well, firstly, not everyone is of high quality, and your cookies are very delicious. And secondly, only some have a girlfriend with a ten-thousandth Instagram account!” And so our confectionery activity began. The first 400 subscribers were among our friends, and another 600 were brought to me by my girlfriend’s advertisement; that is how we “earned” the first thousand followers.
The cookies became our life almost immediately. Clients grew exponentially, and skills improved day by day. Everything developed, and Sunday Cookers became a family business a year later: he bakes, and she draws. Orders were coming all other the world. And then were flowers – lots of gingerbread flowers – and requests for classes started coming from everywhere. Education in the UK was a good background, and we began to record courses in English. Sunday Cookers became one of the best in Ukraine, but one day diverted our life to before and after.
February 24th – war 4 suitcases, two kids, a dog, and two adults who know how to make royal icing cookies embarked on a new chapter of their lives. USA, TX. We have been here since June. Started from scratch. A new country, a new culture, everything is new – except for the endless love for our work – decorating cookies and searching for new horizons in this infinite field of creativity.
So far, we have expanded our assortment, and now our customers from San Antonio can order not only royal icing cookies but also cupcakes, cakesicles, and bento cakes. All these are designed as thematic sets, and we call them “Magic boxes.” And most importantly and exciting thing, we took part in Julia M. Usher’s Cookie Art Competition™ 2022, and according to a new international awarding standard, we took Silver in 3D Winner Cookie Advanced-Master. Also, Sunday Cookers received the Kerry Vincent Best in Show Award, which is a great honor for us.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s a family business. We work together, and it can be a challenging road. So, of course, we had some time to get used to each other in these new roles. Also, it was a home activity that took some time to adjust until everything started working out for us. For Anna, cookie’s direction felt like calling almost from the beginning. That was her passion, and she could work 24/7 because it wasn’t only a job for her. It was a way to show her creative side, which she enjoys sharing all the time. She didn’t recognize it before. However, for Constantine, it was challenging. From the beginning, he didn’t understand his role in this. It took time to discover something that connected with him inside. He needed to feel his necessity and his inviolability in this business. So yeah, it was a fight with himself for a while. And honestly, at first, he did it for her. But over time, he established its irreplaceable place (keeping online stores, editing video courses, working with the site, printing, labeling, baking, and cutting all cookie shapes). Over time, this work became very versatile and exciting for everyone. Even kids were involved sometimes. And everyone has found their niche. Then we started to make a profit and, most importantly, feel the gain in our life. That’s how harmony came for all of us.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sunday Cookers cookie studio?
Now we are developing two directions for our business. Since the 2015th Sunday Cookers is all about royal icing cookies, we are pros at it. And it’s about more than quality (though they are delicious and unique desserts from only natural ingredients). It’s about appearance, attitude to details, texture, volume, and technique. Some people even call it art! It’s also about an individual approach to each client. “Can you do this or that?” – we always say, “yes, of course,” in response. Because we can make everything from the cookies: any characters, shapes, ideas, and occasions, cookie sets can be extraordinary and incredibly personal. For example, we made a “real” Christmas train with Santa in a locomotive and a snowman with friends in wagons on the Christmas holidays. Also, we have a relatively new US market product – Cookie Cake toppers. Imagine any cake of your dream, any theme we can reflect on cookies that can decorate the cake – and it also will be delicious. It’s an excellent idea for both professional cake artists and super moms who adore their kids or want to make surprises for their beloved ones, as Cookie Cake toppers are extremely easy to connect with a cake. We also have our delivery service and a great experience in exhibitions, events, and festivals. We handled perfectly corporate orders of any volume and budget.
For the past years, we have had a lot of requests for other treats like cupcakes, cakes, etc. So we decided to create our second brand – The Sunday Bakers. It’s always been essential for us to stand out from the crowd. So we combined everything we knew about cookies with bento-cake, cupcakes, and cakesicles. You can order “Magic Sweet Box” on any theme: a set of different treat joints for any milestone occasion in your life. It will contain: handmade decorated cookies; delicious Bento cakes; cupcakes decorated with a soft cream cap; miniature cakes on a stick – cakesicles; small cakes in your hands – cake popsicles. We can keep talking, but “A picture is worth a thousand words.” So join us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sunday_bakers_/ and make your holidays delicious and unique with Sunday Cookers or Sunday Bakers!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check?
For business, we prefer the following resources:
– Julia M Usher Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/user/JuliaMUsher
– SweetAmbsCookies – https://www.youtube.com/@Sweetambs
– Food Network – https://www.youtube.com/@FoodNetwork (Our main dream is to get on the Food Network 😉)
For personal growth, we prefer the following resources: Now, we spend all our free time improving the English language, and specialized podcasts and YouTube channels help a lot.
Pricing:
- Decorated cookie – from 55$ to 175$ for dozen
- Decorated cookie Highest Level – from 25$ to 75$ per cookie
- Magic boxes – from 110$ to 130$
- Cupcakes with cookie decoration – from 55$ for dozen
- Cakesicles with cookie decoration – from 55$ for dozen
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.sundaycookers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunday_cookers/ and https://www.instagram.com/sunday_bakers_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sundaycookers
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIowYxCqYo5RENb_wL_jalA
