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The Joy of Cookies

McIntire graduate puts marketing expertise to work selling healthful baked goods

	Stephanie Santoso (right) and her mom, Theresa.

What goes into a batch of Stephanie Santoso’s cookies? Answer: a meticulous business plan, three years of training with one of the world’s best advertising firms, and an outstanding marketing education from the McIntire School of Commerce.

Santoso (McIntire ’04) is the Founder of Amandari Company, maker of gourmet, all-natural, healthful cookies. Before starting Amandari, Santoso worked as an Account Executive at the Manhattan offices of advertising heavyweight Ogilvy & Mather. “It was an outstanding environment for learning the advertising business,” Santoso says. “I got a tremendous amount out of my time there.”

But Santoso learned about more than advertising and marketing during her time in New York. “Being in New York made me more fearless,” she says. “New York is full of people who are starting interesting things—new businesses, theater companies, art galleries—it was inspiring! I was watching all of these things happening, and I thought, ‘If they can do it, I can do it.’”

Now We’re Cooking
It was in this spirit that in April 2007 Santoso began to work out a business plan for starting a wholesale purveyor of healthful baked goods—a business plan that, she is quick to point out, she sent to McIntire Professors Jack Lindgren, Adelaide King, and Felicia Marston for review and comment. “I knew it was imperative that I have a really sound structure in place,” Santoso says.

Santoso moved back to her hometown of Wexford, Pa., where she recruited a top-notch business partner: her mom, Theresa. “She loves the product development side of the business, and I love the strategic and business side,” Santoso says, “so we balance each other out.” (Santoso, however, as she’ll be the first to admit, is a self-confessed “foodie” who’s loves hunting for offbeat cookbooks and trying new cuisines.) The partners decided to start off making meringues—delicate, egg-white based cookies—which they offer in three flavors: chocolate cashew, espresso walnut, and chai pistachio. They sell their cookies to specialty food shops, as well as coffee shops, tea houses, and cafés (in Charlottesville, they can be found at gourmet retailer “Feast!”).

“These days,” Santoso says, “there are so many food-related illnesses and problems—allergies, diabetes, obesity—we wanted to make a simple, delicious line of baked goods with all-natural ingredients and no preservatives. Then we decided we’d step it up a notch with the exotic flavors.”

Santoso says that as the business matures, the business will add more meringue flavors, along with “other healthy baked goods” to its product lineup.

The Business Side of the Cookie
Santoso says she wouldn’t be where she is today without her McIntire education. “When you graduate from McIntire, you’re so well prepared to handle yourself in the ‘real world,’” she says. “When I approach a retailer, I’m not at all intimidated—I feel like McIntire really prepared me to communicate effectively.”

Moreover, Santoso says, the marketing and financial skills she took from McIntire have proved invaluable. Not only did she have a good feel for writing a business plan and for the day-to-day operations of a business, but she also had a superb understanding of how to properly market a product. “I designed our Web site and logo,” she says. “My ability to do that, and my understanding of aesthetics and of how to appeal to the customer—all of that came from Professor Lindgren. He’s had a huge influence on how I market my products.” Indeed, she says, “I think my love of marketing and advertising shines more now than it did when I was at Ogilvy & Mather.”

Ultimately, Santoso’s delight in her business runs even deeper. “If I can find something I love doing and really integrate into my life as a whole, then why not do it?” she says.

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