Two young entrepreneurs make a splash at the farmer’s market with their company, Sister’s Sweets

Each week, through spring, summer and fall, the Whitecourt Farmer’s Market brings the community
together on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to shop from local artisans. From vegetables to art to
breads and preserves, there is always something new to see and try.
Last week, Sister’s Sweets joined the fray of small businesses filling the floorspace inside the Whitecourt
Legion. It was the first market attendance for the company and its young entrepreneurs. Eleven-year-old
Sierra Bergeron and her younger sister Avery, 9, are the creators behind Sister’s Sweets and the bakers
of several hundred cookies perfectly packaged and ready to sell.
With Sierra’s signed Certificate of Completion of the Alberta Food Safety Basics for Farmer’s Markets
course proudly displayed on their pink tablecloth and four delicious varieties of cookies on display, the
girls were all smiles just after 11 a.m. as the bell sounded to open the market.
“I’m a little nervous, but just a little bit,” said Avery. “I’m actually more excited than scared or nervous,”
smiled Sierra. Seconds later, a woman walked up and became their first customer. Like professionals,
the young ladies provided change and handed over a package of cookies as their mom, Cheryl Hudson,
watched from a distance. The girls looked excited to get their first sale, with big glowing smiles on their
faces. For their mom, watching her girls succeed at a project they worked so hard for was emotional.
“I am so proud. I’m actually an entrepreneur myself. I own a bookkeeping business here in town, so
seeing my children doing this sparks a lot of emotion for me. I’m also proud they put it together so
quickly in one day. They worked a full eight-hour day yesterday doing all this baking. I’m really
impressed,” smiled Hudson. “I think when you are doing anything like that, you go through ups and
downs, especially as a team and especially as sisters. I watched them work through a couple of heated
moments, and I’m just really proud that they pulled it all together and are here doing this today.”
The girls had returned from a week-long camping trip on Sunday, leaving themselves one day to prepare
for the market, and they nailed it. “We have about 300 cookies to sell. We baked them with my grandma
because my mom was at work. We have Chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, monster cookies and peanut
butter,” explained Sierra. “There’s also these other monster cookies that were messed up. They are big,
thin and crunchy, so we named them Well Done, Dad,” she added with a chuckle.
This wasn’t the first time the girls had dabbled into something entrepreneurial. Sierra explained that
they had run a lemonade stand in front of their home before but added that the farmer’s market was
much better. “There are way more people, and it’s a lot more business-like. It’s better. It’s cool. I like it
better than being outside.” Before the market, they sat down and made a plan. “It’s important to do
that,” said Sierra. “If you don’t make a plan, it could definitely go very wrong.”
Avery said she learned a lot through the process. “When we were doing this, we both had some times
where we were like, I don’t think this is going to work, and I don’t think we are going to get done, or we
won’t have enough cookies, and we sell out, and then we have to sit here without cookies, but here we
are,” said Avery with a big smile.

For Sierra and Avery, learning about running a business through hands-on experience will be invaluable
as they grow up. Their mom, Cheryl, hopes they keep the side project going. “I’m definitely going to
push them in that direction and support them. I’m so proud of them.”
Joanne Thompson, Whitecourt Farmer’s Market President, agreed. “This is really cool. The fact that they
are so young and thought of doing this together is amazing. They are young entrepreneurs, and they’ve
done a great job.” She encourages parents with kids with ideas about something they want to sell to
reach out. “If you want to do something spectacular, join us for the market. Make it, bake it, or grow it.
You can come down.”
For Sierra and Avery, the sky really is the limit. “We want to do it again. Next year, we could even be
selling cupcakes!” Her big sister said she wants to get into something even more significant. “We could
also do cakes, but maybe something more individual, like slices.” They said they might even offer gluten-
free options someday soon.
Next time you visit the Whitecourt Farmer’s Market at the Whitecourt Legion on a Tuesday, watch for
Sister’s Sweets, and say hello to Sierra and Avery, two of Whitecourt’s youngest entrepreneurs. To learn
how to join the Tuesday farmer’s market, join the Whitecourt and Area Farmers’ Market Facebook page.