Who is Miranda Tompkins?
Miranda Tompkins is a children's book illustrator and former stay-at-home parent from Oregon who built a holiday baking brand around Swedish folklore. The idea came out of a conversation with another mother about holiday traditions, in which both admitted they disliked the mess and taste of gingerbread houses. A friend suggested a small cake pan instead and later proposed pairing it with a picture book. Tompkins sketched the story on the back of her daughter's coloring book, then spent about a year finding a manufacturer. The Tomte Cake launched with a kit that includes two baking pans, an aluminum figure of the tomte, the yuletide house elf of Scandinavian folklore, her illustrated book and a recipe card.
Her first run of 5,000 units sold out with little marketing. She was cast on Shark Tank after an open call in March 2023 and appeared in Season 15, asking for $200,000 for 10%. She accepted Kevin O'Leary's offer of $200,000 for 15%. The Tomte Cake continues to sell its kit direct online each holiday season.
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