Driven by her desire to spread happiness, one N.C. A&T student continues to grow her passion to bake sweets with her business, Bites & Bliss Company.
Nicole Rodriguez, a senior animal science student, aspires to create happiness by combining her love for baking with the desire to positively impact the community.
“My inspiration for wanting to start BitesBlissCo was to spread happiness. I have a sweet tooth and wanted to share my love of sweets with others,” Rodriguez said.
Bites & Bliss Company is a self-owned business that serves homemade handcrafted treats. Rodriguez researches what sweets are popular and pours her creativity into the treats by tailoring recipes to her customers’ liking.
This attention to detail not only showcases her baking skills but also demonstrates her commitment to delivering treats that resonate with her audience, making each product a reflection of what her customers truly enjoy.
Rodriguez uses high-quality ingredients like fresh farm eggs and produce ensuring her treats meet the standard.
“I always look at the ingredients and make sure the quality is right,” Rodriguez said. “I even have some of my friends’ taste tests.”
With the support of her best friend, Jordan Watson, who helps deliver her delicious treats, Rodriguez is on a mission to connect with fellow dessert lovers.
“One of my favorite things is bringing people together that like treats and having people interact with my videos,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez has many posts on TikTok and Instagram where she invites students to sample her treats. In the post, viewers can watch students taste the treat and give their reviews.
Community engagement is a core value for Rodriguez. She believes in bringing people together over treats and loves seeing her customers interact with her content.
While spreading happiness through treats is her passion, it can also be a lot of responsibility to be an entrepreneur and a full-time college student. Between being a senior getting ready to graduate and being the bible study leader for her church, Rodriguez has a lot on her plate.
“Some of the challenges that I have been facing recently are time management, trying to go to my job, own the cookie business, and complete all of my school work,” Rodriguez said.
As Rodriguez prioritizes her new business venture, she is looking for a target audience that will give her brand continuous support as she goes around having people try her treats.
“I’m trying to find a good crowd to buy my cookies, which can also be difficult sometimes. I’ve been finding a system through a lot of trial and error.”
Cookies are priced at 2 for $5. Menu flavors include milk chocolate, peanut butter bliss, vanilla Bliss, oatmeal delights, and snickerdoodle. Cake slices are $4 and a loaf is $15 including banana bread, chocolate kissed banana bread, honey bun cake, and Colombian dulce de leche.
Rodriguez has big plans for Bites & Bliss Co. in the future. She wants to expand her company to include custom cookies, allow customers to personalize their treats, and possibly have a cookie truck.
“People should not give up, you should really target your business for something you like and make sure your heart is in it,” Rodriguez said.
For students looking for a sweet homemade treat, keep up with Bites & Bliss Co. on Instagram @bitesblissco and Rodriguez @onlycolee.
