Estevan has a sweet tooth.
It appears so, anyway, according to the Estevan Comprehensive School鈥檚 entrepreneur class that has made over $3,000 by selling their latest product: edible cookie dough.
The class has called its business Treat Yourself and has sold nearly half of its peanut-free cookie dough supply, which is divided into white chocolate chip, chocolate chip, and M&M flavours.
ECS student and Treat Yourself鈥檚 vice president of information technology and online sales Robert Godfrey, said their product can鈥檛 be found anywhere else in Estevan.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really pushing the edible part of our cookie dough, the fact that it鈥檚 a new idea,鈥� Godfrey said. 鈥淟ooking around in Estevan, there鈥檚 nothing like our product here.鈥�
Hailey Dukart, the president of Treat Yourself, noted bacteria such as salmonella could be ingested after eating raw cookie dough, and said their product鈥檚 simplicity is creating strong business opportunities around the community.
Coming up with the idea, however, was a long process, and cookie dough wasn鈥檛 the first concept to be considered. A series of bath bombs made it to the prototype stage, however according to Josh LeBlanc, the business class teacher, it simply didn鈥檛 work out and neither did a few of the other ideas they had.
鈥淚t took some time, but they realized that the cookie dough was their best alternative,鈥� he said, noting his role with the business is that of a 鈥渇acilitator,鈥� and that he only steps in when major obstacles emerge. That hasn鈥檛 happened, he said.
鈥淲e want them to work through the different tools we give them to know when to say, 鈥榟ang on, this isn鈥檛 working, maybe we should look at something new,鈥欌�� he said.
Godfrey noted the various social media tools the team used to find an idea that worked for them, and that the marketing strategies of the 2014 class company, Bodacious Baskets, have been analyzed and similarly adopted.
LeBlanc said the cookie dough is an interesting product to sell because it doesn鈥檛 have a target audience. Bodacious Baskets, he explained, was made popular by the specific holidays the baskets could be customized to.
This year鈥檚 product takes a different approach.
鈥淚t appeals to all people 鈥� and they make great gifts,鈥� LeBlanc said of Treat Yourself鈥檚 cookie dough.
Dukart said the business savvy obtained through the class is extremely valuable.
鈥淎 business degree is something I鈥檝e considered doing for a long time 鈥� and this class has given me some great experience already,鈥� she said.
LeBlanc said his goal is to give the class hands-on experience.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e not going to learn how to run a business unless you do it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to bog them down with bookwork and schoolwork.
鈥淚 want them to take this business and go with it.鈥�
For the next three weeks, Treat Yourself cookie dough will be available at the farmers鈥� market, which is located in the Shoppers Mall.
The group will be giving back to the community, as well. One dollar from every jar sold will go to the Estevan Humane Society.
Treat Yourself is also hoping to do well at the Junior Achievement Banquet this year, which takes place at the start of June. LeBlanc said last year鈥檚 class was nominated in nearly every category.
