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Boston Entrepreneur With Down Syndrome Up To 75,000 Orders, Will Give Out Cookies At Oscars Event

BOSTON (CBS) -- Collette Divitto has finally caught up to the 75,000 cookie orders that flooded in when the 26-year-old Boston woman's story went viral after it first appeared on WBZ-TV in November.

The entrepreneur, who has Down syndrome, relied on the constant help of friends, family and volunteers to make the endless batches of her "Amazing Cookie" and ship them off around the globe.

Collette Divitto
Collette Divitto bakes cookies at the Golden Goose Market (WBZ-TV)

She is now fulfilling about 25 to 30 online orders per day by using kitchen space donated by the Golden Goose. The North End business was the first client to carry Collette's cookies on its shelves.

See Collettey's Cookies web site

But exciting developments continue to surprise Collette on a daily basis.

Later this month, she will be in Los Angeles rubbing elbows with the celebrities. Collette will have a table at the red carpet "gifting suite" the night before the Oscars and her cookies will be included in the gift bags provided before the awards.

"I am super excited and honored," she told WBZ-TV.

Collette and her mom, Rosemary Alfredo, are still fielding a steady stream of phone calls and emails from people around the country who heard about her inspiring business venture or want the entrepreneur to speak at an event.

The family recently signed with Bodega Studios, which will be pitching Collette's story as a docuseries to various networks.

collettey's cookies
Collettey's Cookies. (WBZ-TV)

"It's amazing about how fast this is all happening," Alfredo said.

Immediately after the story appeared, Collette started hearing from businesses that wanted to sell the cookies, along with potential investors.

She was later featured on CBS Evening News, along with other national news programs and online sites.

Collette's story was by far the most popular video on WBZ's Facebook page in 2016, reaching more than 25 million people.

Collette started the business after she faced barriers trying to find a paying job. Her hope is to grow the business and eventually hire other people with disabilities.

Ryan Kath can be reached at rkath@cbs.com. You can follow him on Twitter or connect on Facebook.

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