After graduating from Clemson University’s LIFE program, Collette Divitto experienced numerous rejections during an exhaustive job search. That’s when Divitto, who was born with Down syndrome, decided to go into business for herself.
She had developed a passion for baking in high school and created an original cinnamon chocolate chip cookie recipe, which she dubbed “The Amazing Cookie,” because it was such a hit with family and friends. Divitto approached a local grocer who agreed to sell her creation.
Collettey’s Cookies, with the tagline, “changing the world one cookie at a time,” was born.
“I was not only determined to show everyone how capable people with (dis)abilities are, but my mission is to open production facilities across the country and employ thousands of (dis)abled people!” she says on her website. “Most people with disabilities live on the poverty line.”
That’s because persons with disabilities are often subject to an exemption to the Fair Labor Standards Act, that allows employers to pay them whatever they think they’re worth. In some cases, this may be just $1 an hour, according to Divitto, who’s working to change that.
Attention from news outlets has helped her spread the word out on a large scale. In 2016, she and her brand were featured on a Boston TV affiliate’s nightly news program. She was then flooded with orders.
Soon after, national news stations picked up her story. Divitto has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Inside Edition, BBC, CBS Evening News, ABC World News, People Magazine, and others. In 2021, Divitto was featured on the Peacock documentary series Born for Business, which chronicled the lives of four entrepreneurs with disabilities.
Today, Collettey’s Cookies has sold more than 400,000 cookies in-store and online and employs 15 people, several with disabilities. Divitto endeavors to work with lawmakers to create policies that would increase employment opportunities for those with disabilities, and has launched the nonprofit Collettey’s Leadership Program which provides workshops, training, empowerment, and leadership guidance to those with and without disabilities.
“My focus is to help in creating pathways, assessments, and skills in developing one’s real future, of real interests and real happiness,” she said.
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