A woman from Boston had always dreamt of having her own successful cookie shop, but her Down syndrome had held her back.
But thanks to the power of social media, her dreams are very quickly becoming a very real reality, with thousands of orders for her now-famous cookies from all around the globe.
Collette Divitto, who is 26 years old, was struggling to get herself a job due to her disability, but determined not to give up, she decided to take her passion into her own hands and start her own business from her kitchen.
Having spent a long time working hard on perfecting her own cookie recipes, she then started her own website, with the help of her supportive family and friends, and began to sell her cookies online and send them out to customers.
Her huge success began to grow after CBS did a profile on her story in November, highlighting how she had always had the determination to be a huge success and would refuse to let her disability hold her back any longer.
The CBS video has now been viewed almost 9 million times, and has meant that Collette is now inundated with orders for her famous chocolate chip cookies dipped in cinnamon, with more than 25,000 orders in just a few days. This has meant that she is baking hundreds of cookies every day, and packaging and shipping them out both across the country and overseas as her profile rises.
Local business ‘The Golden Goose’ now sells the upcoming baker’s cookies in his market, to which he has received countless praises and a lot of positive feedback for the deliciousness of the cookies.
Following this, other local businesses have been interested in stocking her baked goods in their own shops, and interest is creeping in from an array of investors.
This kind of success is exactly what Collette set out to do when she first started her venture. She wants her business to grow to a huge company, with her products being sold in nationwide stores. The reason for this is not so that she can earn a lot of money, or become a well known personality, but for the sole purpose of being able to hire other workers who have disabilities.
Having had a lot of rejection in the employment sector herself, Collette knows how hard it can be to get a paying job when you have a disability.
Collette’s sister, Blake Divitto, told CBS, “It’s about getting jobs for everyone who deserves jobs.”
You can read the full CBS report here, including details of how to order Collette’s cookies for yourself.
IMAGE CREDIT: Collettey’s
About The Author
Jess Murray is a wildlife filmmaker and conservation blogger, having recently returned from studying wildlife and conservation in South Africa, she is now striving to spread awareness about the truth behind faux conservation facilities throughout the world. You can follow Jess on Facebook Here