Desserts for those with digestive distress
WHILE STUDYING at McMaster University, the stress of school work and a family digestive “curse” got the best of Katarina Poletto.
She became unable to digest many foods and was forced to cut out gluten and dairy products and drastically change her diet and lifestyle.
“It was hard! I remember dreading going out with friends for a meal or dessert because I knew I likely wouldn’t be able to eat anything on the menu,” recalls Katarina.
This frustration led her to found Dolled Up Desserts (dolledupdesserts.com), making gluten-free, vegan desserts and dry mixes available to others with food sensitivities.
Why desserts? For one, baking had been a longtime family tradition she wanted to explore in an inclusive way.
“I grew up in a household where dessert was more important than the main meal, so I had no plan to give up sweets when I got sick,” explains Katarina.
“I taught myself how to bake with my allergies in mind and developed a roster of tasty recipes that work for me.”
Second, vegan and gluten-free baked goods fill a niche business opportunity that has served Katarina well in this city and beyond. In Hamilton, the competition is still relatively small, which gives her a first mover’s advantage. However, she has also secured substantial customers in the more heavily saturated Toronto market.
Katarina attributes much of her early success to a focus on innovation in her baking.
“Vegan, gluten-free baking requires unconventional thinking since there are currently no tried-and-true guidelines,” she explains. “This lack of rules means constant innovation and challenging norms; all of my recipes came out of research, creativity, trial and error. My wholesale clients actually distinguish me as someone who is always trying something different.”
Dolled Up Desserts is less than a year old, yet Katarina already has more than five wholesale clients and a thorough strategy to continue her impressive growth. Next year, she intends to ramp up sales for her baking mixes and expand retail availability. A regular feature by Hamilton’s Innovation Factory