Watching Food Network’s “Kids Baking Championship,” 11-year-old Olive Shaw knew she was just as experienced as the contestants — many who already had their own businesses. So with a little strategic pestering, Olive got her mom to agree to start a baking business with her.
“In true amateur fashion, the most important thing to us was the name,” Mille chuckles. “And so we cast around for a while looking for a name and finally settled on MooCakes because Moo stands for ‘Millie and Olive’s Outstanding Cupcakes.’”
With a name secured, MooCakes and Treats made their first sale on Valentine’s Day 2020. Selling almost exclusively cupcakes, MooCakes and Treats also makes floral cupcake bouquets — one of their most popular products.
While school is in session, the mother-daughter duo limits the amount of orders they take to around six to 10 per week. While Millie does most of the baking, Olive is the go-to taster.
“Olive does her homework on one side of the counter and on the other side, I’m getting spoonfuls of frosting and stuffing them in her mouth,” Millie says.
And when it comes to separating their mom-daughter and business relationships?
“We do it better sometimes than others,” Millie laughs.
According to Millie, Olive doesn’t like being told what to do, and according to Olive, Millie likes things done a certain way.
“Typically, we try to maintain a distance between mother-daughter and MooCakes,” Millie says. “But at the same time, we are mother and daughter, it’s always part of it.”
But no matter their disagreements — Olive wants brown cupcake boxes while Millie prefers white ones — working together as mother and daughter means a lot to the duo.
“It’s very special,” Olive says. “And I’m glad I get to spend my childhood working with my mom.”