Picture this scenario: You recently had a pleasant exchange with a professional. Maybe you’ve already done business with them. Maybe they’re warming you up to the concept of one day doing business with them. In either event, that professional gives you a tchotchke with their company’s logo on it, such as a travel mug, tote bag, pen, koozie, lanyard, stress relief ball, or little sheet of silicone that supposedly facilitates jar opening. Something along those lines.
“Thank you!” you say to the professional, because failing to express gratitude at every opportunity is the most profoundly un-Minnesotan thing you can do. You take the trinket home, place it inside the least frequented drawer in your house, and hope that your grandkids will find some use for it after you’ve gone on to eternal life.
But what if that professional gave you something you actually wanted? You would certainly feel more sincere appreciation for their gesture. You would likely form a more favorable impression of their business while enjoying their gift. Why, you might just be more inclined to purchase their goods or services in the immediate future.
Now imagine your reaction if that professional had given you the greatest thing ever to exist: Sergeant Shortbread cookies, which are baked by Eden Prairie’s very own Matt Rosen.
“I fell in love with shortbreads shortly after my discharge from the United States Army,” said Matt. “I was vacationing in Hawaii with my family when I discovered a local bakery giving them away as free samples. One bite was all I needed to discover my calling. Heck – I bought a whole case right then and there, which just goes to illustrate how effective a marketing tool a single shortbread can be.
“I started out small, kicking my poor wife Sara out of the kitchen whenever I was hired to bake shortbreads for weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, family reunions, and other events that call for perfectly light, perfectly sweet, and creatively flavored shortbread cookies. I eventually graduated to a commercial kitchen with the equipment I need to bake over 50 dozen shortbreads in a single day.
“I may not even have considered the business-to-business angle if not for the good people at Hellmuth & Johnson. First, the Edina law firm ordered my cherry almond, dark chocolate sea salt and toasted coconut shortbreads for one of their internal initiatives. Next, they ordered more to give away to their clients. And wouldn’t you know it? A lot of their clients are business owners, and they wanted to make the same great impression on their own customers.
“Now, I’ve baked shortbreads for businesses all over Eden Prairie and the rest of the Twin Cities metro, including First Western Bank & Trust, C.H. Robinson and Fat Pants Brewing Co. Al Killion of Baker’s Ribs orders a huge batch every year in celebration of his anniversary. Bear Cave Brewing orders individually wrapped shortbreads to give to their patrons. (I’d personally rather dunk them in milk, but to each their own.) I’ve even baked shortbreads for a little magazine called Eden Prairie Lifestyle. You may have heard of it.
“My business clients love Sergeant Shortbread for a lot of reasons. They’re eager to support a veteran-owned business, which I am immeasurably grateful for. They know that such a unique gift is really going to win their clients’ hearts. The convenience of working with Sergeant Shortbread is also a huge plus for busy professionals. Once you’ve supplied any labels or greeting cards you would like to accompany your client appreciation gifts, I’ll take care of the baking, packaging, and shipping or delivery.
“I think what sets Sergeant Shortbread apart the most are my inventive flavors. A lot of people believe shortbreads are limited to one flavor, but my blueberry lemon, orange dark chocolate, confetti, spicy peanut butter, grapefruit strawberry and double berry cookies are turning that preconception on its head.
“If you order cookies from me, you can rest assured they were approved for human consumption by the most scrutinous taste testers in the great state of Minnesota: my wife and the other labor and delivery nurses she works with. They’re under strict orders to provide thorough feedback – not as strict as the orders I received in the Army, of course, but they know that a wishy-washy report of ‘good’ or ‘okay’ will mean no more future cookies. It’s a cruel threat, but I’m committed to creating a quality product here!”
See why the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce named Sergeant Shortbread the Small Business of the Year in 2022! Whether you’re throwing a party, showing your clients that you love them, or simply in search of an epiphany, you can order any number of indescribably good gourmet shortbreads by visiting sergeantshortbread.com. If you tell Matt that you heard about him in Eden Prairie Lifestyle, then he may just send us cookies. That’s a win-win for everyone in our book.
“I’ve even baked shortbreads for a little magazine called Eden Prairie Lifestyle. You may have heard of it.”