We were lucky to catch up with Kellee Everts recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kellee, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I believe being successful requires a strong work ethic, determination, and an overall “can-do” attitude. With these qualities and with a positive approach, you’ll figure out creative ways to approach challenges, and one thing you can absolutely count on are challenges!

I come from a family of small business owners and artists who give and gave their all to put food on the table and build good lives for their families. My father, who had an outboard motor shop and was a boat-racer, would sometimes work two or three jobs during the slim months in winter to ensure the bills were paid and we had enough to eat. During the most difficult times is when I learned the importance of being creative and resilient. For example, if we had no money for furniture, my father would go to the scrap yard and build his own couch, table and chairs. Similarly, we baked our own bread and made granola weekly instead of purchasing from the store. This was largely because we had very little money, and making our own from scratch was economically sound.

My great-grandfather, a successful and renowned California Plein-Aire artist, taught me that it was possible to make a very good living by doing what you loved. I learned at a very early age the importance of working hard for what you believe in. I think that the only limits we have are the ones we put on ourselves. Working hard and having a strong work ethic are gifts, and coupling that with a positive, “can-do” attitude with lots of faith are a winning combination!

Kellee, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Kellee Everts, and I’m the founder of Grammies Crackers LLC. Grammies Crackers bakes small-batch, hand-crafted, wholesome and delicious graham crackers in a variety of flavors, including our Classics, Limited Edition favorites and Specialty varieties. Every graham cracker we hand-craft is made with love, like everything should be.

I’ve been baking since I was a young child. Growing up with my father, we baked our bread and made granola weekly from scratch, largely because making our own was economically sound. I would say that this is where my love for baking began.

Fast forward numerous years to 2017. Our family welcomed our first grandchild into the world. Wanting to spoil her, like every grandmother should, I didn’t want to give her processed food or preservatives. I grew up loving graham crackers as a treat and was so dismayed at how bland and cardboard-like they’ve become in the stores. Through much trial and error, and loads of taste-testing, the “OG” cracker was born (the Original Grammie)! By this time, one grandchild became three, and this exclusive group approved wholeheartedly that these were the best graham crackers and treat ever! One afternoon when the whole family was together, the grandchildren were enjoying their homemade graham crackers from ‘Grammie’, and the question was laid on the table, “Mom, these are amazing, and the kids love them. Why don’t you sell these?” In all honesty, I had never even considered selling my graham crackers. But something stayed with me; you could say that the idea, like a seed, was planted. This seed became a nudge, then turned into a thump, and eventually, through a series of events, encouragement from the family, and a lot of prayers, the answer came while reading yet another news article about some horrific event that had happened in the world. I couldn’t stop asking myself how I could make a positive difference.

“Share love, one graham cracker at a time.” This thought became foundation, and soon, I found that I couldn’t sleep because there was so much to do! On October 1, 2022, Grammies Crackers LLC was launched with our first participation at a local Farmers Market in San Antonio, Texas.

We weren’t sure if anyone besides the family would love our graham crackers when we launched. As it turns out, many people love the product and can’t wait to get in line for more! The OG, Chocolate Dream, and Cinna-Yum Classic flavors regularly sell out, and our new raving fans can’t wait for the latest Limited Editions to be revealed and launched. I’m so thankful for that nudge that wouldn’t go away so we can share a bit of wholesomeness and love, one Grammies Cracker at a time, with our communities.

Grammies Crackers can be purchased locally for pick-up or delivery in San Antonio, Texas, and can be ordered for shipping nationwide on-line at our website as well as on Etsy.com.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new customers for us has been word of mouth. We have had so many loyal customers rave about our delicious crackers to their friends and family, both locally and in other states. We love hearing from customers as far away as Hawaii who love our crackers and were introduced to them by their loved ones who live locally. Word of mouth by delighted customers is one of the best ways to increase brand loyalty.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Grammies Crackers are available for purchase on our own website as well as business-to-consumer platforms Etsy and PublicSquare. Additionally, we are available for wholesale purchase on Faire.com. The pros about being on multiple platforms is the opportunity to reach a wider audience and be discovered by those that may not know us or our website directly. The cons are that each platform has its own rules and regulations, and each will take a certain percentage of the sales, cutting into our bottom line. It’s important to research each platform, weigh the pros and cons, and determine if the platform is a good match or partner for your brand and its needs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.grammiescrackers.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grammiescrackers/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grammiescrackers/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammiescrackers/
• Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1664327894/8-ounces-of-gluten-free-small-batch?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=grammies+crackers&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&content_source=99131e7126538254ff6780e0407dd16effadb0b3%253A1664327894&search_preloaded_img=1&organic_search_click=1

  PublicSquare: https://app.publicsq.com/featured/marketplace/c83f19a0-d218-11ed-ae83-cd430b2edff1?openedFrom=search

Image Credits

Autumn Davida