Baking a Comeback: How a Gen Z Marketer Is Bringing Her College Cookie Shop Back
Meet Jamela Degala, a driven Gen Z digital marketer boldly re-launching her Sweet Spot PH home bakery. Learn how she balances studies, baking & corporate life.
By:
The Good Home Daily
Posted on June 11, 2025
It’s 8:00 in the morning, and like many Gen Zs, Jamela Arabella Degala, 23, is already on her phone, scrolling through TikTok and Facebook. But this isn’t just a casual scroll; it’s part of Jam’s work as a social media marketer for well-known brands in the Philippines.
Jam recently finished her Marketing Management degree, graduating cum laude. While she’s already putting what she learned to use in her corporate career, she has another project close to her heart this year.
During college, Jam started Sweet Spot PH, a small home bakery selling cookies and pastries. After taking a break from the business, she’s now bringing it back.
For Jam, this comeback reflects a mindset she has carried with her through both her career and personal projects.
“Never take anything for granted,” Jam shares as her mantra. “Everything should be done with the essence of hard work and making the best out of every opportunity given.”
And now, it’s Sweet Spot PH’s turn to make its comeback. For Jam, bringing back the college idea she once started is an opportunity she’s not taking for granted.
Where It All Began for Sweet Spot PH
Sweet Spot PH kicked off as what Jam calls a “shotgun idea.” A friend suggested turning her baking hobby into a small business for a school pop-up event, and what began as a simple idea soon grew into something more.
At first, Sweet Spot PH focused on cookies, with flavors such as classic chocolate chip, double chocolate, Oreo-topped, matcha, and red velvet. During special occasions, particularly Valentine’s Day and Christmas, Jam would expand the menu to include other baked treats. Depending on the season, customers could also find red velvet cakes, banana muffins, and freshly baked breads.
When asked what her personal favorite on the menu is, she’s quick to reply, “Classic chocolate chip is my favorite.”
For Jam, the cookie carries the memory of all the trial and error that went into making it.
“I made so many batches of cookie batter to perfect its taste and quality,” she recalls.
What started as a casual school pop-up soon began attracting customers beyond the event. “People keep asking about it,” Jam recalls, which eventually led to invitations to sell at various academic events.
For Jam, seeing customers enjoy her products made the business feel like more than just a school project. “The enjoyment that I saw from customers from eating my products motivated my drive to make the business into a reality,” she explains.
Her early sales gave her even more reason to keep going. At one event, her treats sold out in just 30 minutes, giving Jam a glimpse of the potential her small baking business had.
Even without constant promotion, Sweet Spot PH continued to receive orders whenever Jam posted about it on her personal account. Much of its reach came through word-of-mouth referrals from previous customers. On a typical day, she could receive at least five boxes of cookies or two trays of muffins.
That growing support eventually led to one of Jam’s proudest milestones: being invited as a concessionaire for Prism 2024 at the SMX Convention Center in MOA.
“My proudest achievement was being invited to be a concessionaire for Prism 2024, held at the SMX Convention Center in MOA,” she says.
Baking a Balance Business
“Being short-staffed was my big problem,” Jam admits, especially during peak times like back-to-school, Valentine’s, and Christmas seasons. Mistakes in production also affected flow and finances due to wasted ingredients.
Balancing a budding business with studies demanded strict discipline. “My number one rule is that I shop during Saturdays, bake on [the rest of the] the weekend, and distribute throughout the weekdays,” she shares.
Her mom would sometimes help by selling the baked goods at her workplace,while Jam kept track of orders throughout the week, whether they came online or in person.
During midterms and finals, she asks for orders in advance to ensure she can fulfill requests without disrupting anyone’s academics.
Despite the challenges, Jam found joy in the process. “Baking is my therapy,” she reveals. She often baked at night, enjoying the peace and quiet that came with stepping away from her phone.
And there was plenty to handle behind every order. As a one-woman operation, Jam took care of everything from sourcing ingredients and baking to cleanup and marketing. “So you know that hard work really goes into every product sold,” she adds.
The Hiatus
As Jam approached her final year in college, she had to complete an internship as part of her graduation requirements. This new commitment led to a temporary pause for Sweet Spot PH in 2024.
Even so, the demand for Sweet Spot PH’s treats never truly faded. Customers kept reaching out, and Jam’s love for baking stayed strong. So, after graduating, she decided to bring the brand back.
Today, Sweet Spot PH is accepting orders once again, now with even more customers, including her workmates at Be Global E-commerce Corporation.
Her Sweet Legacy
Over the next five years, Jam aims to balance corporate work while slowly rebuilding Sweet Spot PH. She plans to expand cookie variety and make the brand known and affordable, competing with established players.
Sweet Spot PH has reshaped Jam’s view on entrepreneurship.
“It gave me a blueprint from experience,” she says, “for how I want to build a legacy and a brand for myself, and how fulfilling it is to see others enjoy it too.”
Sweet Spot PH is a testament to making the best out of every opportunity and never taking anything for granted. Each challenge Jam faced and every win she earned reflect her commitment. It shows that her sweet legacy is already taking shape.
