These Brownies Cater To Your Sweet Tooth While Helping Poor Communities
At St. Theresa Catholic School, Lauren and Nicole Bouza were known for their homemade brownies.
The pastries, baked by their mother—Rosemarie Bouza—were so popular that teachers at the private Coral Gables catholic school jostled to have the siblings in their classrooms so they could get a taste.
By their freshman year at Immaculata-La Salle High School, the sisters—inspired by their mom’s baking skills—began making their own brownies
Today, the Miami Dade College graduates run Bouza Brownies, an online-only business that raises funds for mission trips to assist countries such as Bulgaria, Zambia, Cuba and Palestine.
The entrepreneurs won $5,000 in July from Scale Up Miami, an Idea Center program aimed at improving the growth and leadership skills of small business owners.
“The competition was so big for us,” said 29-year-old Nicole, who earned an associate’s degree in business administration from the Honors College at Wolfson Campus in 2013. “Winning definitely gave us the confidence we needed.”
During the 12-week competition, the duo learned online marketing strategies and how to sharpen their budget and management skills.
Nicole and Lauren founded Bouza Brownies nine years ago to pay for an 11-month Christian evangelical mission that included countries such as Honduras, Albania, Malawi and Cambodia.
After the trip, the sisters continued the business to cultivate a spirit of philanthropy. To date, the business has raised thousands of dollars for non-profits promoting youth development programs like Amigo Skate or Christian evangelism such as Adventures of Missions.
Last August, the project built water wells and taught native women how to create reusable sanitary pads using local materials in Livingstone, Zambia.
Bouza Brownies offers nine flavors—pecan, raspberry, rice krispy, Oreo, traditional triple chocolate, strawberry Nutella and M&M, classic and guava blondie.
This month, they are adding two new options: a peanut butter brownie with M&Ms on top and a dark chocolate brownie with white chocolate swirl.
Customers can buy six brownies for $15 or a dozen for $35. They also offer brownie cakes shaped like letters or numbers. Vegan, sugar and gluten-free cake options are available.
“Not only are they delicious, but…it’s also a family-run business,” said Gretel Schumaker, a customer. “It’s just the trifecta of a company.”
Despite not having a traditional brick-and-mortar storefront, Bouza Brownies ships to more than a dozen customers each month. That includes batches to local stores—Mr. Tastings Café in Kendall and Books & Books in Coral Gables.
“My favorite brownie that they make would have to be their guava Blondie,” said Pedro Collazo, the owner of Mr. Tastings Café. “It’s one of my biggest sellers.”
To keep up with the growing demand, the sisters moved production of the sweets from their Coral Gables home to a commercial kitchen in Kendall. The site features a 60-quart mixer and double-decker ovens that hold up to six pans.
“The oven and the mixer are a game changer,” said 25-year-old Lauren, who has an associate’s degree in photography from MDC and frequently visits the kitchen on Saturdays to bake. “We can bake up to 20 pans in the span of five hours.”
Since the pandemic, the sisters have made Bouza Brownies their main priority. They hope to open a physical location within the next year in South Miami or Coral Gables.
“I’m flattered and very proud of my children,” Rosemarie Bouza said. “They have an amazing project on their hands and we’re very excited to see where it takes them.”
Click here to subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, The Hammerhead. For news tips, contact us at mdc.thereporter@gmail.com.
