Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Collette Divitto of Collettey’s Cookies Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
If you’re in business with your family, you have to make sure you have time together for fun and not always talk about business. My Mom and I had to learn that and say to each other NO BUSINESS TONIGHT.
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Collette Divitto.
This young lady is on a mission to change the world — one cookie at a time!
Collette Divitto was born in 1990 with Down syndrome. She grew up in Ridgefield, Connecticut where she developed a passion for baking after taking home economic classes in high school.
After high school, Collette attended Clemson University and finished a three-year LIFE program in just two years. Ms. Divitto was totally inexperienced as a business owner but made the bold move (with help from her mom and sister ) after receiving a number of job interview rejections — often via an email saying that she wasn’t “a good fit” for their company.
Ms. Divitto was just 26 when she decided to transform her baking hobby into a cookie business called Collettey’s. Combining passion and perseverance she was quoted as saying “You have to really focus on your abilities and not the disadvantages.” There was no stopping her determination. Driven by her desire to earn a steady income and eventually live independently, Divitto decided to go to a local grocery store in 2016 to ask if they would sell her baked goods. After tasting some of her samples, they immediately agreed. This was the start of her path to a successful business.
“My cookies are like ridiculously yummy cookies,” Divitto, told ABC News of her signature “amazing cookie,” adding that she includes “100 percent love” as an ingredient.” Can’t go wrong with that!
In late 2016, the Boston CBS TV affiliate featured Collette and her company on their nightly news program. Soon, she was flooded with orders. The national news picked up her story, and Collettey’s Cookies went viral. She has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Inside Edition, BBC, and many other print and television media outlets around the world.
Collettey’s employs 17 people and two interns, (along with her mother) — a majority of whom have varying abilities. It is really important to her to be able to give others job opportunities! She states, “My favorite part of my company is creating more jobs for people with all types of disabilities.”
Collettey’s, is based in Boston and ships thousands of cookies and dog treats each week to people and companies nationwide. That number often increases around the holidays, with Divitto noting she has produced 30,000 cookies in a two-week period. Doggone it! That’s a lot of cookies and dog treats!
Ms. Divitto hopes to partner with Ben & Jerry’s one day and make an ice cream with her cookie in it!
When she is not baking cookies, Divitto also runs a nonprofit called Collettey’s Leadership.org, which was launched in 2018. Her organization offers workshops on independence and entrepreneurship. She’s inspiring others!
She is the author of “Collette in Kindergarten”. Also, stay tuned for her next book “Collette in Third Grade” which will be coming out soon.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you share with us the “backstory” that led you to this career path?
Well, actually I always loved baking and would make all different things on weekends to keep me busy while my sister and brother had lots of friends and went out. I did not have many social invitations and would get kind of down. I realized I loved baking and was good at it so baking became my friend and helped me stay happy and positive in myself. I never thought of it as a business.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career? What was the lesson or takeaway that you took out of that story?
I have had to fire my Mom from helping with the cookies. I often found her covered in flour or butter she was cutting on the floor. Clearly she ha no baking skills or patience and I have asked her to stay in the business and marketing aspect of my business
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
You have to build your confidence in yourself and I did that by trying different things and not being scared to fail. If you find you have something you like and are pretty good at it you have to be willing to work hard and be totally committed to starting your own company. If you own your own company it will become part of your everyday life.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
Oh YES. My MOM always. She raised me on her own and has been my biggest coach and fan. She has always made me feel that I can do anything I put my mind to and I should have the life I want. She taught me to say to myself everyday “I deserve the best for me”. I would say this and I believed.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world?
I think it’s my story of being an inspiration to others and creating jobs for people with challenges and struggles since I understand that and no one would hire me. Also my non-profit Colletteys Leadership — I mentor other adults with challenges and I teach workshops like How To Become An Entrepreneur and How to Create Your Independence and more. Colletteysleadership.org
Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you are working on right now?
Lowering the 82.5% unemployment rate for people with disabilities that are capable and want work. To keep create employment opportunities and helping others get ready for interviews. I also love running my intern programs and teaching people skills. I am really excited about opening in Canada and growing my company to offer Collettey’s Cookie partnerships across the country and offer jobs.
Can you share with us the story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
That is easy. I lived rejection, being left out, seeing how people looked at me differently or had very low expectations of me.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
Oh sure. All my employees are so grateful they now have jobs, learned all the skills in the company and are part of all the company decisions and feel so included and valued. There is not just one person. But I also did give a job to a homeless person who now has their own apartment and is off food stamps!
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
Create an incentive for employees that hire people with disabilities! I have been working on that for a while and I actually have the policy written but with covid, I have to wait.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or an example for each.
If you’re in business with your family, you have to make sure you have time together for fun and not always talk about business. My Mom and I had to learn that and say to each other NO BUSINESS TONIGHT. Haha
Owning your own business can make you always think about it. You have to learn how to turn it off, Go the gym with good music, Take walks, learn to meditate, schedule time that time or it does not happen.
Make sure you eat healthily and get good sleep. You will be working hard and need to be sharp, not tired and grouchy. You have to be the leader of your team needs positive energy.
Take time out for friends and having fun!
You have to make sure your employees are happy at work. You need to put them first when you are at work so your company runs smoothly and everyone cares about your company and each other.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would love to see my company in every state and empowering and employing people with struggles and telling their stories too. If I could see real inclusion and not fake it would be a dream I would love to make happen.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
You Deserve The Best For You. The more you say it the more you will believe it and make it happen. I also say that No Matter Who You Are You Can Make A Great Difference In This World!
We are blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Politics, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
OH wow. I have so many people.
Mark Cuban is very diversified and has the money to help me scale up. Michael Dell who just awarded me $20k of Dell products for recognizing me and my mission to employee people with struggles, the Mars Family who has candy and pet food and the funds and gives to charities to help me build my company, and Lauren Jobs who lost husband and likes to help empower women
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Collette Divitto of Collettey’s Cookies Is Helping To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.