Jordan Rondel

Jordan Rondel has learnt a lot about business over the years. But first and foremost among her strategies are trusting her intuition and being herself.

Jordan is the creator of the phenomenally popular cult cake business The Caker.

After starting life as a blog, The Caker evolved into a side hustle selling made-to-order cakes while Jordan was still a student at the University of Auckland. She later opened a shop on Auckland’s Karangahape Road, and in 2013 the business branched out to also offer luxury do-it-yourself cake mixes. By 2015, when her sister Anouk joined the business as co-owner, Jordan recalls feeling like she had finally really made it.

“We experienced a huge growth surge – our revenue tripled, our space tripled and so did our global ambitions,” she says. “I remember feeling completely unstoppable, and it was such an amazing experience doing it with my sister.”

Jordan, who was born in Aotearoa to an Irish mother and French father, traces her love of baking to childhood trips to Paris visiting her grandparents. Owning a cake business, however, was never on the cards for the 36-year-old, who graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in marketing and international business. In hindsight though, she says her degree “turned out to be a pretty spot-on choice, even though I had no idea at that time I’d go on to build a global brand”.

“Those studies gave me the tools to think strategically and communicate effectively, both of which became essential.”

In 2019, Jordan made the move to Los Angeles, United States, where after a rocky start – partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic – the business successfully managed to break into the US market. In the process, The Caker’s client list grew to include celebrities such as Pamela Anderson, Flea and Miley Cyrus.

Looking back, Jordan says her proudest achievements are “not just the growth metrics or press moments, they’re the creative risks that paid off and the deep, lasting connection we built with our community”.

“I admire the younger me for her fearlessness and blind ambition,” she says, adding that much of her inspiration comes from other women business founders – especially those who “lead with intuition and authenticity”.

But it’s her parents who have been her most influential mentors. She credits her mum for fostering in her a sense of resilience and independence, and says her dad, a successful furniture designer, showed her how to “blend artistry with craftsmanship, and that creative work can be your life’s work”.

Last year, after more than a decade of going from strength to strength, Jordan made the tough decision to sell the business. The move, she says, “allowed me to pause, reflect and truly absorb the scale of what we had built”.

Now, she has another project on the go: a new brand targeted at Gen Z that “sits at the intersection of beauty and emotional wellness, blending sensory rituals with daily self-care". The ultimate aim, she says, is “to create another beloved brand that resonates deeply with people”.

This time round, though, after more than a decade of pouring her heart and soul into her work, Jordan is “prioritising a bit more balance” in the way she lives. Whether that’s possible, though, only time will tell.

“To be honest, my work is an extension of who I am and no matter what, it will always be a huge part of my identity – and I’m cool with that!”