The Caker breaks into the United States
‘‘There were a lot of bad days this year. But we had to find ways to pivot and we did.’’ Jordan Rondel
Moving to the United States proved fruitful for Kiwi sisters and co-owners of Auckland cake shop The Caker, who have secured a US-based manufacturer and are selling through retail giants Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie.
Jordan and Anouk Rondel were approached by Anthropologie two years ago to stock their DIY cake kits across its 200 stores, but at the time the pair didn’t have a manufacturer in the US.
The sisters moved to the US last year and after months of phone calls, research and some false promises, the pair found a factory in New York this year, said Jordan Rondel.
‘‘Anthropologie contacted us again this year, and we were stoked they were still interested. This time we were ready with our production facility,’’ she said.
Soon after, sister company Urban Outfitters also wanted the Kiwi cake kits to be sold through its marketplace website, which enabled third-party merchandisers to sell through its platform.
Anthropologie and Urban
Outfitters are owned by lifestyles company URBN. Rondel said it was a significant deal for The Caker’s expansion plans.
She said moving to the US last year with her sister had also been an important step in establishing the business. ‘‘It’s not usual for two sisters from New Zealand to set up a business in America without any help. It was a really big job, we spent months researching on Google, making calls with potential manufacturers. ‘‘We came very close to signing a deal with a manufacturer in Texas but that didn’t work out and we almost got scammed,’’ she said.
Despite facing a number of setbacks, including Covid-19, the sisters managed to plough through with their operations. ‘‘When New Zealand went into complete lockdown I felt like giving up. There were a lot of bad days this year. But we had to find ways to pivot and we did, the cake kits were also a saving grace.’’
In Auckland, The Caker’s shop also launched ‘‘bubble cakes’’, smaller cakes that could be shared between four people in the same lockdown bubble. Rondel said her biggest lesson from this year was perseverance, as The Caker proved a popular treat for many people during Covid-19 lockdowns.
‘‘We did surprisingly well. We were in a good industry to deal with a nightmarish situation.’’ Rondel is now looking at Europe as the next international market to pursue.