SYDNEY, N.S. — A mother-daughter business duo in Sydney has launched a new business during the COVID-19 shutdown and they’re using it to give back to the community.
Whisk It Up! Baking Kits was launched on May 4 out of the home of Carol Drohan and her 23-year-old daughter Nicole.
The order-delivery company makes baking easy with kits that include the pre-measured ingredients and recipe. The kits also provide directions on how to make it yourself again without ordering their kit.
“It definitely wasn’t planned before. It was planned in the wake of the pandemic,” said Nicole Drohan, who works in marketing for Anchored Designs.
“It’s been a lot of fun. Really busy. It’s business all the time in our house. A lot of people have been hearing about it and we’re getting lots of great feedback.”
Carol Drohan, who works full time in the telecommunications department at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, came up with the idea for the kits to give people something to do while following stay at home orders to stop the spread of COVID-19.
For the past three years, Carol Drohan has been hosting a yearly chili kit fundraiser for charities like the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation. In total, her chili kits have helped her raise $5,000.
Mom Carol uses her tried and true recipes in the easy-to-use homemade food kits and daughter Nicole does the deliveries on Fridays.
The company is offering three kinds of kits — chocolate chip, cinnamon rolls and energy bites. Orders can be made through their Whisk It Up! Baking Kits Facebook page or by email. Prices include delivery to some areas in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, while other areas further from Sydney, like Louisbourg or Boularderie, are subject to a delivery fee which is usually $3.
Part of their plans for Whisk It Up is to give back to the community through regular fundraisers. The first one they’ve created is a limited-edition S’mores Pizza Party kit for Make-A-Wish, formerly Children’s Wish.
“Who doesn’t love making pizza? And it’s a treat pizza so it’s fun for the kids. Fun for the whole family,” Nicole Drohan said. “We thought it fit well with that organization and what they do for families in Cape Breton.”
The kits cost $25 each and $7 goes to the charity. Delivery for the first 100 orders is free and the others can be picked up at the Southend Community Centre on June 13 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. All pickups will be contactless and follow social distancing protocols.
The Drohans hope to sell 500 kits and raise $3,500 to help grant a wish for a child with a serious or terminal illness.
Nicole Drohan said they have sold hundreds of their kits and are excited by the success.
“This is something we think we can continue after the pandemic is over,” she said.
To find out more about Whisk It Up or to order the limited edition S’mores Pizza Party kit, in support of Make-A-Wish in Cape Breton, go to their Facebook page of the same name or email [email protected].
