Calling in an order to Bite Me Cookies of Tacoma, Washington is half the fun. “We laugh just about every time we answer the phone and by way of greeting say, ‘bite me!’,” says owner Deborah Tuggle. Laughs aside, Bite Me Cookies is serious business as they are a growing wholesale bakery selling to grocery stores, coffee shops, specialty shops, and direct to consumers.

Also serious, have been the effects of COVID on operations such as Bite Me Cookies. “Segments of our business were hit harder than others,” says Tuggle. “We really had to reinvent ourselves to be able to serve customers and look out for our employees. Luckily, things have been going better and we have been able to rehire all the staff we initially lost.”

Reinventing themselves is also the way that Tuggle and Bite Me Cookie are helping others and that’s why Tuggle’s Banker knew her business would be a great fit for the Pass It On Project. “We are passing it on in two distinct ways,” says Tuggle. “First, we are donating cookies to front line employees to brighten their day with a little bite of goodness, and secondly, we are opening up our facility to other brands that lost their co-manufacturing due to COVID-19. With Columbia Bank helping to pay for the costs, we are helping fellow entrepreneurs get through this challenge.”