We had the good fortune of connecting with Art Rowland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Art, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It truly evolved out of friends and family saying “this is a really good cookie and you can sell these”. We were playing around with names a year or so ago and the The Art of Shortbread stuck. The domain name was secured and a business account was created just to separate it from our personal ones. Our daughter created the logo and over 2021 it slowly rolled out. A friend needed some bags of cookies to hand out to her clients and that was truly our first sale.

What should our readers know about your business?
Art has made these shortbread for about 10 years and has been encouraged by friends and family at each step. Countless times different flavors were suggested….have your tried to make XYZ? As a self taught baker it is rewarding to get a flavor “just right” and exceed expectations when he said these are from the test kitchen and I’m looking for your feedback. It is truly a classic cookie with artisan flavors. My sister-in-law is a very accomplished baker and when she reacted to their quality on the first encounter it was further confirmation we had a great product.

Art’s full time profession is in the banking business and has worked with hundreds of small businesses in his career. The core business infrastructure was familiar ground, but the challenges of lowering input costs, building production efficiency, and getting the message out all take time and focus. Managing all those time demands, like all business owners know, is the biggest challenge.

As a family business everyone has a role and Kathy’s increased involvement in getting the word out, refining packaging, and figuring out shipping has been critical in getting us to the next level.

We are growing sales and increasing the number of clients step by step….you could say bite by bite as once they try them the shortbreads do much more than hold their own. They exceed expectations and the clients quest is to find their favorite flavor.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Depending on the time of the year it would definitely include a hike – probably at 32nd Street and Lincoln. You can hike for miles and not see many people in a city of millions – with great views of Phoenix. It would definitely include eating at some of our favorite local restaurants – FnB, Los Sombreros for great Mexican food, head to Old Town and the canal front walking or a bike riding. If they were here for a week and had never seen the Grand Canyon that would be a must do trip.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The shout out goes to all of our friends and family who have encouraged the development of these delicious shortbread cookies. We would not have gotten as far as we are without their sampling and honest feedback on the taste and the different flavors. To see their faces light up when they bite into the “just the right” shortbread is wonderful and very rewarding.

Website: theartofshortbread.com

Instagram: @theartofshortbread

Linkedin: Coming in 2023!

Facebook: The Art of Shortbread

Image Credits
Heather Novak Kathy Rowland

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