When Tomei Swan and Jaylen Ever formed boutique dessert company MLK & HNY, they pledged to be environmentally friendly.

Since their soft launch this February, that has been a challenge.

“Sustainability is something that we strongly believe in,” Ms Swan said. “We want to fully transition into using reusable, biodegradable packaging.”

However, their biggest struggle, right now, is sourcing the materials to do that.

“We are working on it,” she said. “We have sustainable practices but we are looking to do better. Being completely sustainable is our end goal.”

They believe this commitment, and a focus on community involvement, sets them apart from other similar businesses on the island.

They began by offering chunky cookies, then added seasonal cookie packs with different toppings, fillings and decorations. They also do brownies, cupcakes and cookie birthday cakes.

“People can request customised boxes with personalised messages on the treats,” Ms Ever said. “We call them love letters.”

In the lead-up to Easter they have been busy, with their new hot-cross lit-bun cookie proving to be especially popular. The cookie includes chocolate chips and a cross made from white chocolate to make it resemble the real hot cross bun.

They sell online and split their cooking time between a home kitchen and commercial kitchen, both licensed.

“We probably bake 100 to 150 treats at a time but it varies depending on the orders we have,” Ms Swan said. “We have a two-day pre-order system.”

They often appear at vendor markets and bake for gatherings and parties.

Earlier this year, professional services firm KPMG Bermuda ordered for both Black History Month and International Women’s Day events.

“They sent an order form around to their staff and gave us a number,” Ms Swan said. “The next day they doubled that.”

The bakers got up early and went to bed at about 1am in an effort to get everything done.

“It was worth it,” Ms Ever said. “We received very good feedback from KPMG.”

The friends share a passion for cooking but came at the business from different angles. Ms Swan graduated from a pastry programme at Leicester University in Leicester, England, last year. Ms Ever grew up helping her father, Clifford Stevens II, and her family run Stevens’ Lunch Wagon in Hamilton.

She loved the creativity involved in cooking and baking.

“Seeing my family take so much pride in their business really impacted Tomei and I,” Ms Ever said. “They are really proud of us and they have given a lot of guidance.”

The most important advice Mr Stevens gave the young entrepreneurs was: “Do not limit yourselves.”

He encouraged Ms Swan and Ms Ever to explore different ideas.

To learn more about running a business, the 25-year-olds joined Ignite’s business accelerator programme last October. Ms Ever’s father is in another cohort at Ignite.

Part of Ignite involves networking with more experienced business owners and graduates of the programme.

“It is really amazing to have a community rally behind us,” Ms Ever said. “We are not starting completely from scratch because we have been learning from people who have already travelled this road.”

In the beginning, they struggled to find a commercial kitchen but now collaborate with an Ignite cohort colleague.

Ms Swan focuses fully on the business, while Ms Ever works as an administrative assistant in government.