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Meet Joanna the Owner, Manager & Baker of FRESHFARM MVT Market’s Bi-Weekly Vendor Cocoi’s Sweets and Pastries!

Thursday March 27, 2025

In our final installment of our annual celebration of Women’s History Month we bring you a feature on Joanna, the owner, manager, baker, and content creator behind Filipino bakery Cocoi’s Sweets and Pastries! Bearing the same name as her son’s nickname, Cocoi’s Sweets and Pastries started in 2020 during the pandemic when Joanna’s husband Willie gifted her a mixer. The business started small, selling wholesale breads like Joanna’s Ube Cheese Pandesals to local Filipino stores in Northern Virginia. Since then, Cocoi’s has expanded to be at four FRESHFARM markets, including the Mount Vernon Triangle market on a bi-weekly basis, and since December 2024 have been serving hungry customers out of their new brick-and-mortar location and bakery located in Dumfries, Virginia. Joanna loves representing Filipino culture through her pastries and connecting with customers at the farmers markets.

Be sure to stop by the FRESHFARM MVT Market on Saturday from 9am-1pm located at the corner of 5th & I Streets NW to try one of Joanna’s creations for yourself and follow along with her experience as a small business owner @cocois_sweets_and_pastries on Instagram!