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Meet Claudia Barbiere, the sweet-toothed powerhouse behind Pretty Bites! What started as a dream job soon turned into a dream come true when she took over the business after three years as an employee. Balancing a double degree in nutritional food science and business while running Pretty Bites hasn’t been easy, but with the help of her amazing team (and a little control-freak-level organisation), she’s made it work!

Claudia’s addition of edible images to her range has helped Pretty Bites grow, creating custom cookies for big names like Optus and Telstra. From adorable baby shower designs to a massive cookie order for healthcare workers, Claudia’s passion and creativity shine in every bite!

1. Can you tell us about when you first realised you wanted to start your own cookie business?

I've always had a sweet tooth and a passion for baking desserts so when it came time to take over as the owner of Pretty Bites after working there as an employee for the 3 years prior, it felt like an opportunity too good to be true, and it's been my greatest decision ever since.

2. Starting and running a business can be a wild ride! What challenges have you faced while building your business and how have you overcome them?

Time management and personal study have been the biggest challenge while running this business. Up until two weeks ago, I've spent the last 5 years at university studying a double degree in nutritional food science and business. Having to manage my time, effort and workload between this and running a business has been nothing short of a challenge. My amazing team of employees, supportive family, and my own organisation skills (secretly just a control freak) have kept me grounded and ensured I've been able to get through all of my studies while keeping the business in its best position.

3. Can you explain the advantages of incorporating edible images into your cookies?

Edible images are an integral part of my business. Being able to offer printed edible logos on our cookies has opened up the largest range of new clients and significantly broadened our audience. We've created cookies with edible images for huge name brands like Optus, Telstra, Commonwealth Bank, NSW Government and so many more, we love knowing how many well-known companies trust us to create edible gifts for them and their guests, clients or staff.

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4. We're curious: what design/cookie gets your creative juices flowing, and why is it your favourite to work on?

I think baby showers are my favourite event to make cookies for. People come up with such cute themes, catchphrases and colour palettes which give us so many opportunities for exciting designs lately.

5. Can you share some of your pro tips for printing and applying edible images effectively?

We've learnt that they darken slightly and colours continue to develop with time. When we are working with corporate clients who care strongly about the shade of colour in their logo, we tend to slightly lighten the logo or pic before printing so that by the time the colour sinks in and develops a bit further, it still maintains the colour they desire. As for application, we use edible glue, we spread a thin layer over fondant with a wide brush and find this works the best for us then leave them to air dry before we wrap them up in cello bags.

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6. Do you have a favourite cookie flavour?

I am a lover of simple things and our plain vanilla sugar cookies are definitely my favourite although our gingerbread cookies at Christmas almost take their place.

7. Self-care is crucial! How do you take care of yourself while running your business?

Stress creeps up on me so easily as a small business owner. I try take time for physical activity like pilates or the gym a few days a week and also try spend lots of my weekend out with family and friends where possible. It's a great distraction from the pressures of work and an even better way to feel like I'm giving myself a well-deserved break after a busy week.

8. What business-related achievement are you most proud of and why does it hold a special place in your heart?

Last year I took on an order for 7,500 cookies for a healthcare company and it was by far the biggest order we have ever done. Despite the chaos and stress that came with it, completing that order taught us so much as a team and gave us such a great working opportunity. We sent these cookies all around Australia and they were handed out to nurses, doctors and aged care workers in hospitals all over the country which was such an exciting challenge for us.

9. Are there any other EIS products that you love using in your work?

Our Canon Pixma printer and its edible ink goes hand in hand with our edible image papers and are the reason we are able to get all of these awesome logo cookies out.