Young baker with Down Syndrome an international sensation

Boston, Mass., Jan 26, 2017 / 16:05 pm

Meet Collette: a talented young baker from the Boston area, who has been working on her own original cookie recipes since 2011. She is also a young woman with Down Syndrome.

Despite her passion for cookies and her talent with baking, she was unable to find a job.

"After rejection over and over again when applying for a job and being told she had great skills but was not 'a good fit,' she was determined to own her own business," reads her website.

Fueled with ambition, Collette opened a production facility in Boston, where she creates and bakes all her own cookies. Within the first 10 days, over 50,000 cookies were ordered.

She has also received over 65,000 letters from fans across the world, including 100 offers from volunteers who want to help with her new company.

Her business, called Collettey's, also has a website where her cookies can be ordered, shipped and delivered with a note from Collette herself. Currently, her facility in Boston handles about 4,000 daily orders of cookies.

But there is more to Collettey's than just the cookies. The ambitious young baker plans to grow her business, eventually creating facilities in every state across the U.S., which would offer jobs to individuals with disabilities who have trouble finding employment.

Behind every cookie is Collette's dream to employ the disabled. According to her website, 76 percent of the disabled community are unemployed, and she is setting out to change that number.  

After months of perfecting her original cookie recipe, Collette's most popular treat has been a chocolate chip cinnamon cookie, dubbed 'The Amazing Cookie.' She also has created 'The Healthy Breakfast Cookie,' which is made with oats, almonds and dried cranberries.

The determined young baker has become an international sensation, appearing in news articles around the world. Her story has been shown on CBS Nightly News, Good Morning America, CBS local Boson, and countless other magazines and journals.

Collette has started a GoFundMe page, where any donations made will be contributed to her growing business. She has currently reached over $18,000 of her $125,000 goal.