Today we’d like to introduce you to Cara Bitton.
Hi Cara, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2007, when I was working towards an Associate’s degree in Paralegal Studies, one of my professors told a story about his serial entrepreneurial brother. At the end of the story, he said, “All you have to do is find a need and fill it.” So when I had my daughter (2nd baby) in 2012, that was on my mind as I struggled to find even one pair of mittens that would stay on her. I resorted to socks and brainstorming sessions with my husband.
In 2015, the conversation came up again, and as we were brainstorming, we both had the same idea at the same time – silicone! After years of product development, securing a patent, and working with a manufacturer overseas, we now have ten different designs for our baby mittens available on our website.
This journey has been much longer and more complicated than we expected, and we have chosen to continue with the business even through heartbreaking loss. In 2019, after several months of trying to get pregnant, we were ecstatic to learn we were expecting a baby girl, whom we named McKenzie. Unfortunately, my water broke at 16 weeks, and after a traumatic and life-threatening delivery at the hospital, we left the next day with empty arms and a long road ahead. Two years later, we were surprised to find out we were pregnant again, and with another baby girl. However, after some complications, we lost our sweet Lucy at 16 weeks as well. Our baby girls have given our business new meaning. The “Zie” in CoZie is a tribute to McKenzie. Even though Lucy was born after we officially named our business, we push forward with both in mind every day.
We have a very special place in our hearts for a nonprofit organization called Share. Our local chapter, Utah Share, supports Weber and Davis counties. Share Parents of Utah supports Salt Lake, Utah, Tooele, and Summit counties. Share supports families through pregnancy and infant loss. They visit families in the hospital, take foot and hand molds of the babies, lend a listening ear to heartbroken parents, and support them for many years through support groups and special events. This service is very much needed in Utah, and it has been crucial to our healing. The gifts, events, compassion, and love shown have meant the world to our family.
As of November 30th, we have sold 106 pairs of mittens in 2025. We are new to advertising and putting our name out there. Our goal in December is to reach 500 pairs of mittens sold for 2025. We plan to donate $1 for every pair of mittens sold this year to Utah Share. If we surpass our goal, we will also donate to Share Parents of Utah. This is a lofty goal, and we may not reach it, but we will be heavily posting about it all through December and hope to make a difference for many other families in our area as they struggle with an empty crib this season.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a very bumpy road. Patents are expensive and difficult to secure. Manufacturing has many ups and downs. Many things can be lost in translation, details can be missed, and costly mistakes can be made. Life events have put things on hold temporarily at times. Postpartum depression mixed with grieving, surgeries, and other health challenges. Everyone has their obstacles, but these have been ours.
I am an introvert, so social media has not been a strength of mine. We have just recently started advertising this last October. Sales are slowly beginning to come in, and each one lights a fire within me to push through and make this dream worth it! We are now braced to move forward and let the world know what CoZie Jules is all about!
As you know, we’re big fans of CoZie Jules. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At CoZie Jules, we have created a line of infant mittens that stay on — so parents can protect their babies’ hands and faces without the frustration of the mittens slipping off.
What sets us apart:
• Stay-Put Silicone Grip — Our baby mittens feature a 100% food-grade silicone wave on the inner cuff to gently adhere to soft skin and help keep them in place.
• Ultra-Soft Materials — Our mittens are crafted from 100% ultra-soft polyester, which is machine washable and gentle on sensitive skin.
• Designed for Growing Infants — The size is 0-6 months; the somewhat larger design provides more room for growing fingers to explore, while still maintaining the size needed for them to stay on.
Why we exist:
After searching for reliable infant mittens for my own babies and being frustrated by how often mittens fall off, I decided to find a solution. But CoZie Jules is about more than mittens—it’s about purpose and people. As a family that has experienced deep loss—losing two daughters to late-term miscarriage/early-term stillbirth—our mission carries even more meaning. We named the company in honor of them, and a portion of every sale is used to donate gifts of comfort to parents grieving loss through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Yes, we have taken many financial risks. Some have not proved to provide any ROI, which has been frustrating. We have spent a lot of money chasing my dream. Seeking a licensing agreement led to thousands of dollars down the drain. Paying for someone overseas to manage our Amazon store and website did not prove to be a wise business decision. These are risks we wish we could take back. However, paying a patent attorney did lead to securing a strong patent. That is a risk we would take all over again.
Risk-taking cannot be avoided, but seeking advice from other business owners around you is crucial to your success.
Pricing:
- Ask other successful business owners how they would price your product.
- Know your worth.
- Set your prices high enough to be profitable.
- Always know your COGS.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://coziejules.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coziejules/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coziejules
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cozie-jules/?viewAsMember=true
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coziejules
