Meet Crystal Morales | Bakery Owner & Cookie Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Crystal Morales, Owner of The Sweet Heartist Gourmet Cookie Co. in Melbourne, Florida. We’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Crystal, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I spent my entire adult life, from age 18-38, working for the same corporation in a very technical role. I loved the company, the people, and the stability it provided. I was good at my job, but my creative side was always left unfulfilled. I tried several hobbies and side hustles during that time. In the midst of the pandemic, I found myself suddenly unemployed after 20 years of service. My baking hobby had been growing rapidly and I just knew this was my opportunity to finally lead with my creative side. I made the decision to scale my home baking business into a full-time, brick-and-mortar retail bakery rather than hunt for another job. It has been the best thing ever! My mission is to create premium cookies with love, support local businesses, and foster creativity in the community.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Sweet Heartist is a combination of the word heart + artist. I am a passionate and creative soul who loves people. Cookies are my medium for creating sweet works of art. I’m most proud of our consistent high quality. We continue to grow and increase production as demand increases, but we have maintained the same high quality. That’s what sets us apart. We care about every single cookie that goes out of the kitchen. We also care about every person that comes in, or even that engages with us via social media. Yes, a business is about making money, but my priorities are the product and the people. I’m excited for our future growth! There are a lot of new things I want to incorporate but can’t due to space constraints so we are looking carefully at our next steps. I started very small to keep my initial risk/investment low while I got my feet wet. I had zero experience with running a commercial bakery. I didn’t take out any loans. I didn’t spend a ton on a big fancy space. I worked with what I had and saved up for equipment as I went. It’s all been a journey of “growing” with the flow. I needed time to figure out if this was even something I would enjoy doing day in and day out. Well, I can confirm… I do love it! The storefront has been open for about 15 months. We were just voted Best New Business on the Space Coast. I’m ready to expand! Creatively, there’s so much more I want to explore.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my new favorites is Senzu Noodle Bar for the fried rice and dumplings. Lunch or dinner at Longdoggers on A1A and then take a walk on the beach afterward. Drinks at The Landing rooftop for the great views, fresh air, and relaxing atmosphere.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m not sure there’s enough room in this article for them all! Seriously, there are so many. I’m beyond grateful for the abundance of support I’ve received. My husband, Nelson, is my biggest supporter. He encourages me every single day. He listens to me ramble when I’m excited about something or when I’m stressed and overthinking. He deals with everything in between as well, but still manages to get through to me with reason and practicality. The other shoutout would be to the community of loyal customers and followers that I’ve grown to love since the beginning of The Sweet Heartist. Some of them have been loyal supporters since this “hobby” started 2019! We would not be such a success without them showing up, sharing, recommending, and supporting us.

Website: www.thesweetheartist.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/thesweetheartist

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesweetheartist