Military mom turned baker finds success with E-Commerce

Theresa Mullan knows full well the meaning of sacrifice, both for her family and for her country. The Harrisburg resident joined the Army Reserves years ago as a 28-year-old single mother of two small children. Her duties took her deep into the jungle of Honduras and to Germany. After 13 years, she decided to take the next step in her career by using her education benefits to become a registered nurse, traveling wherever her services were needed. 

Mullan underwent a series of fits and starts before finding success in the baking world. She said that her first attempt at making a go at it failed. “I was trying to figure out what to do for income, so I began baking cookies and that didn’t work out since a storefront wasn’t feasible,” she said. When her children got older, she landed a job where she would take cake and cookies into work. The feedback Mullan received at her workplace inspired her to begin baking again and selling her creations to friends and family. The overwhelmingly positive response pushed Mullan a bit further and during the height of the pandemic, she applied for a cottage license to bake out of her home. This led to the launch of Kenzaleah’s Cake Café, the name being an homage to her teenage nieces MacKenzie and Aleah, for whom she serves as guardian.  

Mullan soon discovered that she needed a business partner to get the word out about her products. That’s where Market Wagon came in. Market Wagon is an online delivery service where customers can order meat, dairy and prepared foods from artisan producers. The business was established in 2017 and today carries 3,095 local products from more than 400 farmers and artisans. 

Nick Carter, CEO and co-founder of Market Wagon, said that the company exists to help small business owners like Mullan thrive by giving them convenient access to a much larger pool of customers than they can reach themselves. “We help Theresa and other producers reach 2.3 million people in the Susquehanna Valley,” said Carter, adding that their service is also exceedingly efficient. “Food producers know exactly what they need to bring to the hub so that there’s no food waste,” he said. 

Mullan initially sold donuts and soft pretzels, but soon learned that cookies tend to fly off the shelves, especially her most popular cookie—chocolate chip stuffed with a candy bar and dipped in chocolate to further guild the lily. Mullan also makes brownies, peanut butter cups, Pizzelle, oatmeal cream cookies and s’mores, to name a few. “I also like to make cookie dunkers,” said Mullan, explaining that they are sugar cookies which are packed with a small cup containing sprinkles and icing. “You can take them on the go and dip them in the little cup that comes with them,” she said. 

Mullan said that Market Wagon makes it easy for folks to order products and for makers to supply them. “Every Thursday I take my orders to the Harrisburg hub and package them up and Market Wagon gig workers take them to their destination,” she said. 

Mindy Lynch, who worked with Theresa, said that Mullan has made many birthday cakes for her children over the years and they’ve all been delicious and creative. “Everything Theresa does, she puts her heart and soul into it and that includes her taking guardianship of her nieces too,” said Lynch. 

Mullan said that it wasn’t enough to be a great baker. She needed a business that would work with her to take care of the many logistics involved in running an artisanal baking business. “My partnership with Market Wagon has been a blessing. They opened the door to get my products in front of customers. It’s a win-win,” she said.