Owner of Baker's Edge makes brownies worth a million
Matt Griffin, the owner involving Baker's Edge, created a new brownie pan that will helped create his 1st million dollars inside revenue. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Matt Griffin, 36, had been baking brownies 1 night when he came up by having an idea that panned out -- actually -- right into a million-dollar business. "I'm present thinking, 'Wow, the actual corner brownies are the most useful in the pan as well as nobody even discusses it,' " he said. Then it hit him: Exactly why not really style a new pan that bakes merely corner pieces? Baker's Edge's Edge Brownie Pan, ($34.95) is according to his late-night inspiration. The utensil debuted in early 2006. Your rectangular metal pan features three interior walls and a slender constant chamber in which offers a couple of chewy edges to each brownie. a conventional pan creates mushy brownies in the center along with chewy pieces around the perimeter. Last year, Baker's Edge, situated in Carmel, Ind., hit the actual sweet spot: the particular $1 million mark. yet it absolutely was just an additional enjoyable day in the office. "It certainly wasn't this epic milestone that we usually dreamt about," stated Griffin. "It's the day-to-day excitement that's the reward. Maybe if somebody came for the door with a plaque something similar to that I would consider it's a large deal." Griffin often had an itch to be an inventor -- yet no idea he would become one. With first he took the particular traditional-career route. Right After graduating via Ball State University Or College along with degrees within urban along with regional planning, environmental design, along with economics, he got any job as a new possible urban planner within Bloomington, Ind. "It is at an office environment that was sort of political as well as the kind the thing is on TV along with cubes and all," said Griffin. Meeting and also marrying the chef -- Emily Griffin, now Baker's Edge's pastry chef -- has been
kismet. Emily's father assists by simply processing orders. Inside 2004, that they peddled any prototype pan at trade shows yet lacked adequate richesse for you to manufacture more. An advertisement upon MTV -- for a small-business contest hosted through Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) and also VISA (V, Fortune 500) -- caught their own eye. Their Particular "corny video" application, mentioned Griffin, won these $25,000 within seed money. "We used that money, and additionally the exposure, as leverage and additionally to look with regard to a local bank to be able to give us any line involving credit," he said. Subsequent they will create any manufacturing agreement with a factory in China. That ended up being really your company's biggest mistake. "We realized your 12-week lead really was hurting us. It would take eight to nine weeks to produce its way over the ocean, obtain stuck inside customs and then help make its method to us," mentioned Griffin. the pans are actually manufactured close to Minneapolis; Bakers Edge boasts a new sevenday turnaround regarding orders. "They truly hired some extra folks last year to incorporate yet another line. We've played a great role within building up in which manufacturing role in America." they can always be purchased by means of 15 catalogue companies, also as several specialty cooking shops and 300 shops throughout the particular United States, Australia along with England. By late 2009 Baker's Edge additional a new second product, Easy Lasagna Pan ($49.95), that -- yep, a person guessed it -- bakes corner portions involving lasagna. Gale Gand, any Chicago pastry chef along with cookbook author, is aware of the difficulties within launching bakeware. in 2003, the lady developed a line involving bakeware marketed in Macy's stores and also by means of home Buying Network. Within fact, she recalls receiving an early prototype regarding Baker's Edge's brownie pan. "It's one thing people want -- they're always fighting over the advantage pieces. It's a fantastic treatment for an issue we didn't even recognize we had," stated Gand. Indeed, that's why Oprah named both Baker's Edge pans among the girl favorite items in 2010. But despite every 1 of the recent growth, Griffin provides simply no desire to grow the organization further. in fact, he says, putting the actual pans inside Goal (TGT, Fortune 500) stores, for example, would demand a great offer of revamping. right now -- since the company is small -- he has a decent grip about the brand, that allows him to stay close to his roots within Indiana. "We have family within cooking gadgets the location and three small kids," said Griffin. "I was raised operating on the farm -- way before that will term ended up being 'mainstream' -- and incredibly think tough work and determination can be all it takes. A Person could pretty much accomplish anything with nothing." First Published: December 2, 2011: 5:41 AM ET http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/02/smallbusiness/Bakers_Edge_brownies/index.htm