We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Doreen Gardner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Doreen below.

Doreen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

Papa’s foundation is Love and Legacy. Making brittle has been a family tradition for over 60 years. Love was stirred up every holiday season as we piled in the kitchen to make brittle for family and friends. It’s my mother’s recipe, and people would start calling her in August to get on her list. Her list kept growing and growing. She loved people and she loved giving. I want the legacy of love and giving to continue through Papa’s. It is my desire to give back to the community by job creation, giving opportunities to those that have been overlooked, and those that need redemption from previous mistakes. I love our youth; I will create and invest in programs for marginalized youth that will expose them to things they do not have access to; I want to expose them to a world they are now unable to experience. Papa’s legacy will be providing opportunities for others to discover and fulfill their God’s purpose. A quote from my Pastor that sticks with me is, “Your birth was activated to solve a problem in the earth realm,” and that applies to everyone; I want them to find and fulfill their purpose.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

It was a family tradition to make and give away brittle every holiday. We did this for 60-plus years. My mother’s health was failing, and she asked me to take it over; I told her no numerous times; I did not want to, nor did I have the time to make brittle. She had what seemed like a thousand people on her list. My Dad came to me and said you are gonna help your Mom. EF Hutton spoke LOL! I did it, with an attitude. People kept telling me they told my mother she should sell it, and her response was no.  When she said no I am not sure what got into me, but I put a post out on Facebook, and I sold 200 lbs of brittle in about 3 days. I was not happy because I had to fill all those orders. I did and I swore I would never make another batch of Brittle as long as I live. My Dad became terminally ill, and he kept asking me to forgive him, and he was sorry. The thing he always wanted to do and never had the chance to do was to leave a legacy. He was a great man, and he did leave a legacy as a husband, father, Pops, and Papa. After he transitioned, I received an invitation to go into an entrepreneur training program called B.E.T.A. (Black Entrepreneur Training Academy), their first cohort. Papa’s was born there. I am eternally grateful to the Parker Sisters for the creation of BETA; it was all a part of God’s divine plan. I went through the entire class with no name; I was trying to name it after my mother; it was her recipe, and nothing worked. On the last day of class, one of the instructors asked me when I was going to find a name. With tears in my eyes, I replied I had tried everything, and nothing worked; she knew my daughter and had actually been at my parent’s home when we made it. She said, “Why don’t you call it Papa’s? He was in the kitchen with Nana.” Papa’s Brittle was born that moment she made his desire to leave a legacy a reality.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I had to get out of my own way. I grew up eating Papa’s, but I had no idea how my Mother’s compared with others.  Even when I began sampling other brands I knew I liked my mothers better.   I didn’t connect the demand for her brittle with an opportunity for business, and she sold her brittle to a candy shop.  People kept telling me I had better get ready. This is going to blow up quickly; you don’t know what you have. I kept thinking it was just my Mama’s Brittle.  My boss came to me and asked me when I was going to turn in my resignation. Shocked, are you kicking me out? No, he said you are not going to be able to do both. “You don’t know what you have.”  I really didn’t; the demand was heating up.  I prayed, started my transition, and made a faith move;  I entered the Southwest Michigan First Catalyst University Makers Mart Contest. I had seen some of the contestants before, and I didn’t think I had a chance. But I did it, and I won it; the response was incredible. The exposure was exceptional. One day at my computer, a grant popped up. Daymond John (Shark Tank) and the NAACP had grant opportunities for eight businesses. This was global, and I really didn’t expect to win, But God. Beyonce selected 100 businesses from the Midwest to attend a luncheon in Chicago when she was on tour there; Papa’s was there. We did a huge show in Chicago and ended up at the same show in Atlanta. If I get you to taste Papa’s Brittle, I have a customer; my customers share and tell others; I ship all over the USA. Actually, I recently shipped my first international package. I have been successful in branding Papa’s by doing farmers’ markets and expos. I am also in stores around the state, and I am in a boutique in Tennessee. I’m looking to get them in stores everywhere. The other thing I have done very well is networking. ( I am an introvert so I push myself to mingle with people I don’t know, I have really grown in that arena ) I try my best to attend as many networking events as I can, and I always try to keep samples on me. If I can get you to taste it I have a customer!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Make a decision: is it a business or a hobby? A hobby you can do alone, it is a business. Start out right, and get help. Keep your books, finances, and inventory correctly. I am thankful that I had connected with people and utilized the resources to help me get established.

Even though it was a lot and overwhelming, it got me off to a great start. I am able to review my balance sheets, profit, and loss statements and track my growth. Now I am looking at projections. When I first started all I was interested in was making it and selling it. There is so much more behind the taste of the brittle, and the beauty of the packaging. Those are the things that will enable me to continue to make it, package it, and let the world enjoy the legacy my parents started. All of that while making an impact on my community by fulfilling the vision and mission of Papa’s Brittle. The last thing is to know your WHY! My WHY is WHY I do what I do!!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://papasbrittle.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100060107580499
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doreen-gardner-675393255/

Image Credits
Christina Ne’Cole