Chloe Paulk believes that “everyone deserves a piece of cake,” and she’s using her prize money from Mercer University’s Next Big Idea contest to continue her work bringing that motto to life.
The graduating senior, an entrepreneurship and marketing double-major, recently won first place and $4,000 in the School of Business competition, in which students pitch their innovative business concepts, for her gluten-free cake mix brand.
Paulk, from Ocilla, grew up baking and officially started her baked goods business, Cake It With Chloe, in 2019. When she developed a severe gluten sensitivity, she began selling gluten-free versions of her cakes.
As a high school senior, Paulk advanced her business through involvement in the Georgia Foundational Leadership and Entrepreneurship X-perience (FLEX) and won first place and $5,000 in the competition. She tied for first place and won $250 in the Mercer Elevator Pitch competition as a college freshman but found herself uncertain of the best next step for Cake It With Chloe.
Soon after, Mercer alumnus and Z Beans Coffee owner Shane Buerster reached out to Paulk about collaborating. That resulted in Paulk making her sour cream pound cake batter in Z Beans’ roasting facilities and Z Beans baking and selling the cakes in its stores.
“That was a really great outcome. It helped keep my business going when I wasn’t sure what direction to take it in,” Paulk said. “My sophomore year here was when I really pivoted the business. I knew I wanted a way to help people in my position, people with dietary restrictions. I can make gluten-free products, but I knew popping up these gluten-free bakeries in rural areas was not going to be very efficient for longevity.”
Paulk had the idea to make and sell a gluten-free cake mix. She began working on the product in March 2024 and collaborated with partners such as Georgia FLEX, Georgia Department of Agriculture and Georgia Department of Economic Development as she went through the regulatory process. In November of that year, she launched the Cake It With Chloe brand gluten-free vanilla cake mix and started selling it in five specialty retail locations.
Now, her product is sold in 25 locations across Georgia, including 15 specialty retail locations and 10 Piggly Wiggly grocery stores in South Georgia. Her mix is also sold online.
Paulk is working to add more flavors and secure additional selling locations in the near future. She plans to use her Next Big Idea prize winnings to cover costs associated with obtaining certification to use the official gluten-free product seal and working with a designer and packaging company to begin custom packaging.
“The past year has been a really great proof of concept. I’ve seen the proof of it, so now it’s time to grow it,” she said. “It’s neat to see how (my business) has evolved over the years, and I feel confident that this is the direction that is best. Tying it back to Mercer, this is my way that I go out and change the world. This is something that’s so important to me. To be able to use my skills to impact the world is really rewarding to see.”
Outside of her business venture and Mercer courses, Paulk has served as a Mercer Ambassador with Mercer’s alumni office for three years. She has also been involved in Reformed University Fellowship campus ministry, Alpha Delta Pi sorority and business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi.
In the future, she will most likely pursue a graduate school program with an entrepreneur focus. She wants to stay connected in the entrepreneurial space, whether through her business or helping young entrepreneurs.
