Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Rutland.
Natasha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been baking cakes from childhood with my grandmothers. I’ve always enjoyed baking. I’m also a registered nurse who specializes in oncology. One of the ways I would relieve my stress would be to get into the kitchen and start baking.
I would bring my concoctions to work and people eventually would ask me to make cupcakes for their special occasions. After my kids were born I found myself making their cupcakes for each birthday which then had other moms requesting cupcakes from me as well. It was my mother who really encouraged me to take the business seriously. I did my research on LLCs and the rest is history. The goal of my business is to provide a little piece of joy in the form of phenomenal flavors from my cupcakes. It’s still very early for me but I can’t wait to bring all my flavorful ideas to everyone’s palette.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road but I can’t say I’ve had huge potholes to come across either. For me, the biggest struggle is maintaining the balance between my job as a nurse,mother, and baker. Sometimes the business aspect of entrepreneurship can be very daunting. There have definitely been days when I’m looking at all the paperwork and thinking Lord I just want to bake and be merry. But this life requires both of you want to be successful.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Koko’s Kupcakes story. Tell us more about the business.
The name and the logo are inspired by my daughter. My daughter’s name is Khloe but we call her Koko. She fell at an early age and lost her front tooth way before it was time. She was a little self-conscious about it. Me creating this logo was me showing my daughter her beauty and uniqueness in spite of her missing tooth. Not to mention she enjoys being in the kitchen with me.
I think the thing that makes my business stands out is that my priority is making a cupcake that tastes amazing. I love to combine flavors and textures that will entice your palette. Two of my popular flavors are my peach cobbler cupcake and my red velvet Oreo cheesecake cupcake. You will experience a combination of textures and flavors in this treat.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In the next five years, I plan to have my own truck. I want to be able to bring my cupcakes to the consumer. It’s essentially what I’m doing now. But how amazing would it be to have the opportunity to sell, bake, and travel all in one?
Pricing:
- Basic cupcakes $25 per dozen
- Specialty cupcakes $30-45
- Alcohol cupcakes $60
Contact Info:
- Website: Kokoskupcakes.com
- Phone: (832) 736-0302
- Email: Natasha@kokoskupcakes.com
- Instagram: @kokoskupcakes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokoskupcakes/
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
