I've spent a decade having the hard conversations out loud — about my sobriety, about this business, about the things most founders keep quiet. This is one more of them.
When I wrote the letter below in April, I said we had about six months of cash left. That turned out to be accurate.
Here's what happened in between. We found a buyer. We signed an LOI and spent three months in negotiation before they walked. That's three months of runway we don't get back, and it hurt.
Since then we've been talking with a partner we genuinely like — but their ability to close is tied to a raise they're still working to finish, and that may not line up with our timing.
So I'm going to do the thing I always do and say it plainly.
That's the brand and trademarks, every formulation we've ever developed, our Shopify store with 148K past purchasers, 465K email profiles, 162K social followers, and 15,000+ verified reviews at 4.5 stars.
That number isn't a valuation and it isn't a payday. It covers what we owe our creditors and the cost of the transaction. Nothing else.
We need serious interest by October 9.
Our last shipment goes out October 27.
After that, Doughp closes.
Our problem was never the product — 15,000+ reviews say that much. We never had a plant of our own, so we could never get margin where it needed to be, and we ran out of capital to fix it. For an owner who already has manufacturing, distribution, or retail muscle, that part is already solved.
If you're a buyer, know a buyer, or can put this in front of one, please reach out.
Email Iz →And if you landed here because you just wanted cookie dough — there's still some, through October 27. 💜
The letter below is from April 14, 2026. All of it still stands.
I've been sitting with some hard news for a while now, trying to figure out the right way to say it. I think the only way is just to say it.
Doughp turns nine years old this month. And instead of throwing a party, I'm writing this letter — because you deserve honesty, and honesty is what this brand has always been built on.
So here it is.
Doughp is looking for its next chapter.
Nine years ago I started making cookie dough in my apartment. I walked away from a decade in tech to bet on myself and build something that mattered. While everyone thought I was having a quarter life crisis, I genuinely believed I could do it.
And I did. But getting here wasn't a straight line.
We built storefronts, then lost them to a pandemic. We went all-in on e-commerce and scaled fast — too fast, spending more on ads than we could sustain. We expanded into Target, Walmart, and Costco without the capital to support the velocity those shelves required. We restructured. We filed Chapter 11. We cut our monthly burn from $200,000 down to $15,000. Iz took over as CEO and made the hard calls that kept us alive.
Through all of it, we kept making cookie dough. We kept showing up. And we got to nine years.
But right now, we have about six months of cash left — and we've taken this as far as we can go as two solo operators without institutional capital or a partner who knows how to scale a CPG brand in retail. We need someone who believes in what we've built and has the resources and expertise to carry it forward.
We're actively seeking the right partner — a buyer, a strategic investor, someone who sees what this community sees in Doughp and wants to be its next chapter. If that's you, or someone you know, please reach out. kelsey@doughp.com.
We started at a little food park called Spark Social SF — a cart, a dream, and a lot of cookie dough. Then we opened our first real storefront on Pier 39 in San Francisco. Then Las Vegas. We were growing. We were building something real.
And then the pandemic hit. Every brick-and-mortar business around us closed. We had every reason to fold. Instead, we went online — and against every odd, we kept going. More than kept going. We more than doubled our sales that year. We catered events. We shipped cookie dough across the country.
We raised money from over 600 investors through our crowdfunding campaigns — thank you, genuinely, for believing in this crazy dream. We got on Shark Tank a second time. We got into Kroger and Meijer and 2,500 stores nationwide. We built a Mental Health Monday email series that turned into something I'm genuinely proud of. We donated over $150,000 to nonprofits working in mental health and addiction recovery.
None of that happens without you. Every single order, every share, every message on a hard day — it all added up to something real. Something that mattered. Something I'll carry with me no matter what comes next.
And then something happened that I didn't expect.
I shared our story publicly this week — raw and unfiltered, the way I've always tried to show up for this community. And you showed up right back. Over 150,000 people saw that video in 48 hours. Hundreds of comments poured in. Stories of sobriety. Of starting businesses. Of finally speaking truth out loud because something about Doughp gave them the courage to.
That outpouring made one thing crystal clear: the impact this brand has had will never die. No matter what happens next, that belongs to all of us forever.
In the meantime — every order right now helps us keep going, honor our commitments, and find the right landing place for this brand. We're so grateful for every single one.
Use code
LASTBATCHfor 20% off when you spend $40 or more
Every order helps us find Doughp's next chapter.
Shop Now →Stock your freezer. Send someone a gift. Get the flavor you've been meaning to try for years.
This community has meant more to me than I have words for. You showed up for the mission. You sent me messages on days when I really needed them. You bought cookie dough and somehow together we turned that into real conversations about recovery, about grief, about getting through things you didn't think you could get through.
Doughp was my first baby. My whole identity for years. I put everything I had into it and I'd do it all over again.
I'm not giving up hope. I'm praying for the right person to come along and see what you all see in this brand — and carry it forward the way it deserves to be carried.
Thank you for every order. Every share. Every kind word. Every story you trusted me with.
I love you guys. I really do.
As always, Have a Doughp Day... ❤️
Kelsey Moreira
Founder & Chief Inspiration Officer, Doughp
P.S. On a personal note, Iz & I have found our way back to our faith during this season and it's carried us more than I expected. Whatever you lean on when life gets hard — I hope you have it close right now.
