How one mum turned a family baking routine into a national food brand

After stepping away from her career to care for her children, Pauline Clarke turned a simple weekend baking routine into a scalable food business. Kookee now supplies retailers, coffee shops and food service customers across Ireland.

But her journey into food wasn’t something she planned. In fact, it came from a combination of circumstance, creativity and a need to rebuild her life around her family.

An unexpected start in food

Pauline’s early ambitions had nothing to do with baking. She studied music technology and had ambitions in a completely different field, with a strong interest in maths and music shaping her early career plans.

However, after returning from England, she took a role in a food factory simply because it was available at the time. That decision set her on a new path.

She explains:

“Food wasn’t something I ever thought I’d end up in from an education point of view, but I did grow up around it. My dad grew everything and cooked everything, so I understood food and where it came from, but I never saw it as a career.

“Once I got into the industry, though, I realised quite quickly that I could do more. I started progressing, getting promoted, and moving into supply chain and purchasing roles.”

Over the years, Pauline built a successful career across multiple industries, including electronics, where she worked internationally with teams in the US and Germany.

Eventually, she returned to Ireland and secured a senior purchasing role within the food sector.

She says:

“At that stage, I had worked my way up, and I was doing well. I was in a strong position, especially as a woman in what was still quite a male-dominated space.”

But just as her career stabilised, her personal life shifted.

A life-changing moment

When Pauline’s eldest child was diagnosed with autism at the age of four, everything changed. She was expecting her third child at the time and already managing a busy household alongside a demanding job. The advice she received was clear.

“We were told very directly that one of us would need to give up work, and at that time the assumption was that it would be me,” she says. “Even though I was probably the main earner, I stepped away from my career and became a full-time carer.”

However, she admits that it wasn’t easy.

“I didn’t know anything about autism then,” she says. “There was a huge amount to learn, and you’re trying to understand how to support your child while also adjusting your own expectations about life and work. It’s a complete shift.”

Despite stepping away from her career, Pauline still felt a strong drive to do something for herself.

Baking as a starting point

That outlet came in an unexpected way. Baking became a shared activity between Pauline and her children, but it quickly evolved into something more purposeful.

She explains:

“We started baking together, but traditional baking didn’t really work because of sensory challenges. There were issues with textures, smells, and even touching ingredients. I came across a cookie recipe that was more like playdough, and that made a huge difference.

"It meant we could turn it into something hands-on and engaging and slowly build up tolerance and confidence.”

Every weekend, the family baked together, creating routines that supported both learning and enjoyment.

“It became our Saturday thing,” she continues. “The three of them would sit at the table with me, and we’d go through the whole process from making the dough to shaping it, and then cleaning up afterwards.

"It wasn’t just about baking; it was about structure, patience and building those small habits.”

Initially, the cookies were simply shared with friends and family. But then came a turning point.

“Someone asked if they could place an order, and that was the first moment I thought maybe this is more than just something we do at home. Maybe there’s actually a business here,” she says.

Turning a small idea into a business

Pauline began experimenting, producing cookies from her kitchen and gradually refining her offering. She drew heavily on her previous experience.

“My background in supply chain was a huge advantage,” she says. “I understood sourcing, costs, and I had connections. I also reached out to people I had worked with before and asked them to taste the product and give me honest feedback. That was incredibly valuable at the start.”

As demand grew, she began exploring ways to scale without compromising her role as a carer.

“I couldn’t stand at markets every weekend or commit to something that took me away from home for long periods. So I had to think differently about how I could grow this in a way that worked for my life,” says Pauline.

That led to one of her most important early innovations: frozen cookie dough.

“By freezing the dough into portions, cafés could bake them fresh when needed. It removed waste, extended shelf life and kept the product simple and clean. That model worked really well for both sides.”

Growing from the kitchen table

Alongside the frozen product, Pauline developed a dry cookie mix, packaged by hand at home.

She says:

“We would sit every evening folding paper bags, adding labels and getting everything ready. It was very manual, very hands-on, but it worked. It allowed us to start getting onto shelves.”

That product helped secure a place in SuperValu, eventually expanding into dozens of stores.

“At one point, we were supplying around 86 stores, and everything was still being done from home. We were packing at night, fitting it around family life; it was intense, but it showed us what was possible,” she continues.

Scaling up

A major breakthrough came when Pauline secured a nationwide listing with Aldi.

“That was a huge moment because suddenly you’re dealing with orders in the thousands. It forces you to look at your business differently and ask, ‘Can we actually sustain this?’” she questions.

To meet demand, Pauline began renting production space from other food businesses.

“We were essentially borrowing kitchens wherever we could, just to fulfil orders. It wasn’t ideal, but it allowed us to keep going and prove that the demand was there.”

But as the business grew, so did the pressure.

Stepping back to move forward

By 2022, a combination of personal and professional challenges reached a tipping point.

“Between the business, caring responsibilities, the impact of COVID and losing my mum, everything just became too much. I wasn’t enjoying the business anymore; it had turned into a burden,” she reflects.

This led to her making the heavy-hearted decision to pause.

“We paused everything. And while it was a difficult decision, it was also a relief. It gave me space to think, to reset and to figure out what I actually wanted moving forward.”

Rebuilding with purpose

During that break, Pauline invested in herself. She returned to education, completed programmes in supply chain, lean operations and business growth, and began rethinking the future of her business.

She says:

“I wanted to come back stronger and more structured. I knew the potential was there, but I needed to rebuild it in a way that was sustainable.”

That led to a bold next step: building her own production facility. In August 2025, Pauline opened a dedicated food production unit, transforming her ability to scale.

“Walking into the space for the first time was a huge moment,” she reflects. “After everything, to see something we had built from scratch, it just felt like, this is it. This is the next chapter.”

With that foundation in place, she launched a new product line: Eat Loaded Cookies.

“The idea was to create something specifically for food service,” she explains. “Fully finished, decorated, blast-frozen products that customers can use with zero waste. It makes life easier for them while maintaining quality and consistency.”

Looking ahead

Today, Pauline’s business continues to grow, supplying multiple channels while developing new products for the future. But her perspective on success has changed.

She says:

“The path hasn’t been straight, and it’s taken a lot of time to get here. But I’ve learnt that you don’t need to have everything figured out from the start. You just need to keep going, keep adapting, and build something that works for your life.”

For Pauline, the most meaningful part of the journey isn’t just the business itself, it’s what it represents:

“My kids are proud of what we’ve built, and that means everything. That’s what makes all of it worthwhile.”

People were also interested in

• Why now's the time to start a side hustle

• Balancing an unpaid caring role with managing your business