DALLAS — Pursuing a career in baking often comes with an inspirational origin story. For Addison LaBonte, founder and CEO of Sweet Addison’s, this is no exception.
When Addison began distance running in preparation for a full marathon, her legs would start to lose feeling after a few miles, eventually going completely numb. After she was diagnosed with compartment syndrome, she thought she would need extensive surgeries on her legs or accept never being able to run again.
She was ready to try anything to relieve her symptoms and after a heart-to-heart with her aunt, Addison adopted a gluten-free diet.
“I became gluten-free overnight, and within three days, I could run normally again,” Addison said.
Little did she know, this advice would be life-changing in more ways than one. Nine months after Addison successfully ran her first marathon, she began documenting her gluten-free process and favorite dessert recipes on an Instagram blog where she organically amassed over 200,000 followers and received an influx of requests to sell her products.
“I’ve always wanted to have my own brand and here I was getting demand for a product that didn’t even exist yet,” she said. “So, I thought, ‘What would this actually look like if I did it?’”
After struggling to find gluten-free dessert options that were also healthy and tasty, Addison took matters into her own hands.
“I couldn’t find what I was looking for on the market — thick, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth desserts that are also gluten-free and made with really clean ingredients — so I created it myself,” she shared.
Sweet Addison’s launched in January 2024. Her premise was to recreate the big, thick baked goods reminiscent of her childhood, only in a gluten-free format.
What sets Sweet Addison’s apart is the texture of the baked goods and the integrity of its ingredients. Addison hand-selected every ingredient she put into her cookies and brownies, avoiding gluten-free flour for its gums and fillers.
“I am very particular about the high-quality ingredients that I use,” she said. “I decided instead to go with almond flour because it is naturally higher in protein.”
“I couldn't find what I was looking for on the market — thick, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth desserts that are also gluten-free and made with really clean ingredients — so I created it myself.”
The bakery brand’s desserts are also dairy-free, made with olive oil instead of butter to ensure products stay moist in or out of the fridge.
“I did a ton of research and development,” Addison said. “It took me about four to five months and 25 recipe variations to land on the initial product, which was chocolate chip cookies.”
Recipe testing was low on Addison’s list of challenges. She had a slew of questions, from what packaging to use to where to buy ingredients in bulk to what to include on a nutrition label.
“There were a lot of things logistically that I had to learn, but in terms of other struggles, I really dealt with imposter syndrome,” Addison shared. “I kept questioning, ‘Why should I be the CEO of this company?’ I’ve never been trained in any of this stuff. I’m a self-taught baker.”
Growing up baking with her mother and grandmother, Addison was used to a holiday production of various baked goods, but she never imagined she would make a career out of it.
“I never really thought that I’d become an entrepreneur,” she said. “I was a math major in college, and I thought I’d go into finance and climb the corporate ladder. It wasn’t until these health issues sparked my interest in healthy living and eating that I thought about sharing these experiences with other people.”
When it came time to make decisions for her company’s marketing and branding, Addison created a new account for Sweet Addison’s, roping in her social media audience and inviting them to follow her brand’s entire development process.
She engaged with her social media followers directly, asking what flavors they would like to see and how much they would typically pay for a baked good. By gauging their interests from the start, she created hype for Sweet Addison’s before she even confirmed a launch date.
Carefully considering what her product packaging would entail, Addison decided to sell her desserts in 4-, 6- and 12-count individual packages.
“I travel a lot, and I always struggle to find better-for-you gluten-free options on the road,” Addison explained. “The idea for the individual package came to me one day when I was on a plane and I thought, ‘It would be so nice if I could just take one of these out of my bag right now and eat it.’”
Today, Sweet Addison’s is in the process of expanding into a commercial kitchen in the Dallas area, with bigger opportunities in other major cities on the horizon.
“I’ve poured my heart and soul into this business,” she concluded. “I really care about every cookie and brownie that gets shipped out, and I hope that my customers can see that level of detail and attention that goes into crafting these.”
