24 hours with Debbie Neocleous
Debbie and her cookies
Baking hundreds of cookies a day has led to a comfortable life for one Nicosia resident and the flexibility more traditional jobs don’t allow
It would not be inappropriate to describe Debbie Neocleous as one of the most successful women in Cyprus. After all, unlike other women who have achieved success, Debbie has built a comfortable life for herself and her family by simply …baking. She is the founder of Debbie’s Cookies. “And the funny thing is, I can’t even remember where I got the recipe from,” she said. As we sipped our coffees while seated on the cosy couch in her Nicosia shop, Debbie described how she started out studying at medical school in the States, went on to be a career woman and ended up baking cookies, which led to her employing a personal trainer and maid.
“Actually, my original plan was to study business but I changed my mind and decided to go to med school instead. I now have a degree in pre-med,” she said. Growing up in a suburb in America, Debbie was used to the perks of a privileged life. “I grew up with horses, would travel to Europe regularly with my parents and of course, went to one of those good girls school.” In 1985, during her studies, Debbie met her future husband, Elmos Neocleous with whom she finally moved to Cyprus in 1989. “At the time, we were living with my husband’s parents, which was quite difficult but fortunately later on I got a marketing position working for Pepsi International, which I enjoyed very much.”
Debbie’s days of marketing research and secretarial obligations are now officially over and she wakes up at 6:15 for a completely different reason. “I get up and prepare my son for school. I’m physically more relaxed now that I don’t have to work seven nights a week. So, by 6:55 I drop my son off at school and go back home for a shower. I also enjoy a big breakfast including coffee, toast, cottage cheese and Weetabix.”
Debbie had absolutely no intention of making baking a full-time job. In fact, the only reason she would bake was due to home-sickness. “After moving on from Pepsi International, I then worked at a pharmaceutical company for six years and also travelled to Africa for research, which was very exciting. But I was tired of being a career woman and I was getting very home-sick, so I began baking cookies and taking them to work.”
Debbie’s cookies were a success and it was only a matter of time before she left and made the decision to create her own company. Her first job was for the American Women’s Bazaar, where all 30 bags of cookies sold out. “I would then send out boxes for free and get 60 orders back. By April 2002 I rented a shop and had moved in by September.”
By this time, Debbie was working non-stop and felt as though she spent all her time living in an apron with her hair tied back. Adding to the problem was the fact that she was unable to stick to the recipe. “The cookies weren’t turning out the way they were supposed to and I even thought of giving up. However, later on I discovered that even the size of the eggs, the quality of the flour and every small detail, when done in large quantities, makes a big difference.”
A year-and-a-half later, she landed the Starbucks account. “I make the cookies for Starbucks, you see,” she remarks. Throw in 11 employees and seven different other sweet items on the menu including scones, brownies and pies and Debbie can now relax with her son, only ever having to check up on what’s going on at the shop every morning. “I also have a lot of paper work that needs filling out and signing but other than that, I’m free by 11 to go to the gym, which by the way I really need.” Debbie’s obligation to taste her production resulted in the pounds piling on and even the development of hyperthyroidism. “I had that sorted out and now have a personal trainer, who makes sure I work out properly three times a week.” By three in the afternoon, she picks up her son, goes home and helps him with his homework. So, does she cook or bake at all? “No!” she says shaking her head. “Not anymore and I don’t bake. We have a lovely maid, who makes superb meals.”
She also checks on all her ingredients, some of which are imported from America, but others, such as the eggs, are local.
“And we also use real bananas,” she stressed. “Everything is natural, no colour additives.” But the most important factor for her is the flexibility she now has. “I have the time to take my son to the cinema at 5:30 in the afternoon when it’s quieter. By 8:30, he’s in bed and if my husband and I have a social event to go to, we’ll make a night out of it and go for drinks. We’ll be home by two in the morning if we do go out.” But I suppose that’s just one more perk.
Debbie’s cookies Tel: 700005007
