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

Ken, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

When I was in my late twenty’s I owned a catering business and restaurant with two other fraternity brothers. The restaurant ended up being a money pit and sank the business. Along with sinking the business it also sank the financial possibility of doing it again. However, the day I left that business was the day I wanted to to it again, and I knew that what I wanted to do professionally was own my own food business. Life wandered its path, marriage, mortgage, kids and all the responsibilities they entail. All the while, I kept trying to think of a way to get back to owning my own business. My family has been making my Grandmas shortbread for years. My mother-in-law knew of the shortbread and knew of my passion for the kitchen and she shared her recipe for Millionaires shortbread (shortbread covered with homemade caramel and then topped with chocolate). It would have been sacrilegious of me to not use Grandma MacKenzie’s shortbread for the base, this is when idea of Dueling Grandmas was born. I had the concept for Dueling Grandmas together for 10 – 12 years before I finally started the business.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When I was in my late twenty’s two fraternity brothers and I started a box lunch catering business. For two years it was growing to the point where we needed to get larger facilities. We had an opportunity to buy a restaurant we were familiar with, we leveraged friends and family and purchased the restaurant. It was the wrong move. The restaurant was a money pit and sank the business. It also sank the financial opportunities to do it again. However, the day I left that business was the day I wanted to do it again.
So as life moved forward, marriage, mortgage, kids took precedent, plus the financial capability to start my own food business again was never present, but I never stopped dreaming about doing it.
My family has been making my Scottish grandmothers shortbread for years, it is the best shortbread ever. My England born and raised mother-in-law knew about my grandmas shortbread and shared her recipe for millionaires shortbread (shortbread covered in homemade caramel and then topped with chocolate). It would have been sacrilegious of me to not use my grandmas shortbread as the base of this wonderful cookie. When I made this treat the name Dueling Grandmas popped into my head. I loved the name and I loved the idea of sharing this treat with the rest of the world. That’s when the business idea came and I waited for the right time when the family savings and cash flow would allow me to start my own business again. For over ten years I waited for and hoped for the right time to come – it never did, and it looked like it never would.
In fall of 2020 there was a tiny window as Covid lockdowns were crashing all around us that people could gather. That happened to be when my niece’s wedding was scheduled. She didn’t want a wedding cake, she wanted millionaires shortbread. I gladly made 140 individually wrapped shortbread cookies for her.
That was the final push I needed. Time was passing and I knew if I didn’t start Dueling Grandmas I would go to my grave regretting it and unhappy with myself. I also knew that the Christmas season is the most important season for shortbread. So, on November 1st 2020, my wife is unemployed, I just sent two kids off to college, Covid lockdowns are happening, I didn’t have a kitchen, or a website, or any customers and no idea what I was doing, that’s when I started Dueling Grandmas. It was the best decision I’ve ever made.
Shortbread is the perfect adult cookie. Because it originated as a Scottish peasant dessert it’s hardy and not too sweet. Butter, flour and sugar and a pinch of salt mixed together in the perfect combination. The proportions my grandmother put together in her recipe are perfection and lend themselves to fantastic combinations, Raspberry White Chocolate, Lemon, Brown Sugar Pecan to name a few, and Millionaires shortbread will always be the flagship. I currently have 12 different varieties, with more already planned for.
The concept of Dueling Grandmas Shortbread is very simple: I make shortbread perfection and you send this shortbread to someone and you make them happy. No one has ever been offended with a gift of shortbread. Duleinggrandmas.com is the online portal to this happiness. The feeling of joy that I get when I see someone try Dueling Grandmas shortbread for the first time and I see their eyes light up and see them mouth the words ‘that’s really good’, will never get old.
I take great pride in each and every batch of shortbread I make. Everything is handmade in small batches. When you make shortbread you have to take great care in how you mix the ingredients together. If you over mix or under mix the dough the cookies will not turn out correct. The reason a lot of shortbread includes corn starch is because this allows you to over mix and over work the dough and still get away with a serviceable product. Also, shortbread needs to be cooked low and slow to get the right texture and bite. I make my shortbread to be eaten and enjoyed and not to sit on a grocery shelf for six months. This is why I keep my shortbread frozen after I bake it, and freezing it is the best way to keep your shortbread long term. That said, most of my shortbread is eaten and enjoyed before ever making it’s way to the freezer.
During the Fall and Winter I focus most of my time, energy and resources to the online business and the corporate gifting needs (employee and client appreciation gifts). During the Spring and summer my time is spent on building the wedding and banquet business as well as growing a loyal farmers market business.
I love my job because ultimately what I do is make a product that makes people happy, there’s nothing better than that.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I had my catering business and my partners and I raised money to by the restaurant so we could expand our business, that move proved to be a fatal mistake. Everything we had done up to that point was working. That was because we didn’t force anything, everything move forward was taken with small steps. When we bought the restaurant, that wasn’t a small step, that was a very big leap. I told myself when I started Dueling Grandmas that I would guide the business forward, but I wouldn’t force anything. I knew that there would be many available ways to grow the business, direct to consumer online sales, corporate customers, wholesale vs retail sales, banquets and weddings, a store front, etc.. I know how I’d like to see my company grow and where I want to focus my time and energy, but I also know that my customers have an input on what they want and need from me.
The successful end goal is always in my sights, but I’m fully aware that the path there may wander a bit. I would rathe adapt and succeed than be pig headed and fail.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Failure is not an option. As I stated before, when I started Dueling Grandmas my wife was unemployed, I just sent two kids off to college, we were in the middle of Covid confusion and lockdowns, I didn’t have a kitchen, I didn’t have a website, I didn’t have any customers. I didn’t know how I was going to make it happen, but I knew I was going to make it happen. I was fully aware that in order to succeed I was going to have to persevere through one adversity after another. In two years, I haven’t had a day off, I haven’t collected a paycheck, and I haven’t had a vacation . That said, professionally speaking, it been the best two years ever.
Luckily for me, my family is behind me completely. They know how much this business means to me and how important it is to me, and they are constantly encouraging me and urging me forward.
I think the lessons my kids have learned from watching their dad work as hard as I do, and with as much passion as I have for this enterprise will be incredibly valuable as they begin to forge their ways through life.

Contact Info:

• Website: duelinggrandmas.com
• Instagram: Dueling Grandmas
• Facebook: Dueling Grandmas
• Other: TikTok: Dueling Grandmas

Image Credits
Images by Julia Velky