The Rizz is Caramel Drippy
JOANIE SPENCER Editor-in-Chief | joanie@avantfoodmedia.com
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Joanie Spencer shares how modern thinking can complement traditional practices. Sponsored by Bundy Baking Solutions.
If you have a Gen Z in your life, you’ve probably heard at least one of these words. But unless you’re an actual Gen Z, chances are you’re at a loss for what they mean. Thanks to a tutorial from my 15-year-old, I can help. If your “rizz” is “drippy,” you have confidence, charisma and exceptional style.
The caramel? Well, that’s a nod to our cover story. If you’ve ever eaten a Killer Brownie, you get it. They’re multitextured with a signature, c aramel-laden bite. And if you’ve ever been to the bakery in Miamisburg, OH, you’d agree with this title’s whole sentiment. That’s not just because there’s yacht rock playing in the mixing room, or because teammates wear “Caramel Drippin’” T-shirts to the office.
It’s the whole vibe: unique, unapologetic and fiercely loyal.
It’s also loyalty to its customer base, user experience and brand standards. Perhaps above all, it’s loyalty to the people who make the brownies. Sure, the proprietary process and custom equipment give the competitive advantage, but the dedication to what Killer Brownie is and what it stands for is truly the secret sauce.
While the brand, now part of the Irresistible Foods Group portfolio, has gained most of its prominence in the past five years, Killer Brownie has spent decades in dedication to a product unlike anything in the market. That has meant doing things the hard way at times for the sake of p roduct integrity, and it’s often meant learning from mistakes. But it has always been done together, as a team, with confidence, charisma and exceptional style.
There’s a lot to be learned on the path to prestige. The ones who grow with integrity can teach us the most. As we charge through this new year on a fast-track to IBIE in September, pay attention to the ones you might assume are the “little guys.” They’ll remind you what it takes to get to the top … and they might even teach you how to keep the rizz drippy.
LEADER OF THE PACK
From a box-lunch staple to an “Irresistible” brand, The Killer Brownie Co. is loud, proud and impossible to ignore.
BY JOANIE SPENCER
Before it was part of the Irresistible Foods Group (IFG) — actually, before it was a company at all — Miamisburg, OH-based Killer Brownie was simply a decadent dessert found in the box lunches at high-end grocer Dorothy Lane Market in Dayton, OH, where businesses clamored for the lunches in large part because of the brownies.
Today, Killer Brownie is on the cusp of national notoriety while maintaining a mission of joy … and offering a constant reminder that life is short. After unveiling a rebrand and new logo, Killer Brownie is reassuring everyone that it’s okay to live a little.
“We’re really tapping into those moments where people are doing that in their everyday life,” said Chimene Ross, CEO of The Killer Brownie Co. “Whether it’s a family occasion or just living it up with people you love, it’s about embracing life. That’s who we are. There is so much joy, happiness and fun at Killer Brownie, and we can communicate that through our prod uct.”
The brownies weren’t just a product of Dorothy Lane Market; Norman Mayne, Dorothy Lane’s CEO and third generation of ownership — and Ross’ father — helped develop the original recipe and even sketched the original Killer Brownie logo on a napkin. The popularity began in the early ’80s, and at the height of the corporate box-lunch trend, retailers around the region wanted to emulate the treat in their in-store bakeries.
“It was becoming really big in Dayton,” Ross remembered. “The other retailers wanted to [start selling a brownie like this] because there was no other product like it. In-store bakeries really revolved around bread, and desserts as we know them today were a new phenomenon.”
Mayne was willing to teach those retailers how to make it, but Killer Brownie was too hard to replicate. So, the brand remained with Dorothy Lane.
After some hard knocks from outsourcing production, the Dorothy Lane bakery team figured out how to crank out brownies from a 1,000-square-foot space, affectionately known as “the brownie department,” in the basement of the flagship store. Demand finally outgrew capacity in 2013, and Killer Brownie became its own entity led by Ross, first as head of sales and eventually as CEO.
The brand, now its own company, moved from Dayton to a 30,000-square-foot facility in Miamisburg, where until last year, production, corporate offices and warehouse space were under one roof.
In 2019, the company took another leap, investing in a full marketing team. In the five years that followed, while many brands cut back on marketing, Killer Brownie forged ahead, and the payoff was triple-digit sales growth. After bursting at the seams in the original Miamisburg plant, the team acquired
two more buildings in the neighborhood. The warehouse got its own space across the street, and the corporate functions moved into a building around the corner, dedicating the original 30,000 square feet solely to operations.
Killer Brownie had cracked the code on having a clear vision of the future while accomplishing a lot when the immediate resources and space might be scarce. After all, this is not an average brownie. Made up of multiple layers, one of which is usually caramel, a Killer Brownie feels almost like a candy bar mashup.
“That comes from the texture of the bite,” Ross said. “And that texture comes from the ratio of the inclusions, which comes from an intentional commitment.”
While social media feeds are packed with images of decadent multitextured brownies, very few of that caliber are being made at scale. Ultimately, it’s the experience that makes this product quintessentially “killer.”
“Everything we make has a gooey bite,” Ross said. “Even the brownies without
everyone’s
At Killer Brownie, culture is everything. Chimene Ross (front left), CEO, and Matt Ross (right), COO, lead this bakery by encouraging — and acknowledging —
best work.
caramel have it. People recognize a Killer Brownie as soon as they bite into it. It’s hard to make at scale. Honestly, no one in their right mind would try to do what we do.”
Making gooey brownies with three or four layers at scale requires customization every step of the way. That requires extra attention when the bakery makes more than 30 brownie varieties, each with its own tower of decadence.
“Automating the process has been challenging,” Ross said. “But automation is our future. We have to do it. We’ve been through a lot of trial and error, and our vendor partners have been incredible.”
For starters, the process requires depositing technology designed for precision. Killer Brownie uses depositors from Reiser and Unifiller for everything from traditional brownie batter to highviscosity layers.
Because the brownies can vary vastly in terms of textures, the room’s layout has to be versatile and easily accessible.
“This is a tight space, so we have to keep things flexible,” said Matt Ross, Killer Brownie’s COO. “Depending on the brownies we’re making that day, things will get moved around and reoriented.”
When making so many varieties that each have their own unique method, temperature is critical to perfecting the product, not only in terms of climate control in the makeup room but also how the brownies are baked.
“Some brownies have chocolate chips, nuts or other inclusions, and those textures require specific parameters,” Matt said. “That means oven temperatures often need to vary.”
In a room full of Revent ovens, custom controls dial in each stage of the bake for every type of brownie.
“That ensures an even bake across the entire rack,” Matt said. “Customization has been really helpful.”
Packaging is another area where customization has supported the operation. Four packaging lines are used based on the customer and product type, whether for foodservice, individually wrapped branded, or retail-ready private label.
“The growth we’ve experienced in the past few years has really allowed us to learn about the ins and outs of retail-ready packaging lines,” Chimene said. “The first thing we did when we moved into this space was automate the retail-ready line.”
Recent investments include an automated pa lletizer from Onexia, robotic case packing from JLS and a Wayne Automation tray former.
“It’s fun to look back at when this was all manual,” Matt said. “It’s a great reminder of just how far we’ve come.”
While baking, cutting and packaging were previously singular processes, bakeable cardboard and cutting technology have streamlined the steps into a more seamless process.
—Below
Killer Brownie’s multiple layers require specific, customized depositing technology.
“We were baking in pans, depanning and cutting,” Matt said. “That was a lot of intense labor. Now we can cut inside the pan, overwrap it and ship in bulk, or take them out and move them into a different package.”
That said, the process is still semiautomated, but the team is looking for more automation upstream with integration solutions to bring it all together. With the International Baking Industry Expo on the horizon in September, it’s the right time to have automation on the radar.
“We want to automate the entire line, but we also want it to be people-friendly,” Chimene said. “We want the team to become operators so they can enjoy the job more. Every step of the way, we look at how we can take the strain off people and still meet demand for the product.”
WATCH NOW:
Matt Ross explains priorities and ROI for investing in automation.
That’s the thing about Killer Brownie: At the end of the day, the only things more important than the brownies are the people who make them.
That bond is another area where vendor partnerships become critical. When changes or updates are made to the process — even the ones that make it easier — people naturally have trepidation. The vendors who can navigate those concerns and help operators over the learning curve are the ones that will have staying power.
“The team truly wants to become operators,” Chimene said. “They want to learn
it all because automation is an incredible opportunity for them. And for us to be part of that personal journey, it’s a cool thing to offer.”
From the time Killer Brownie began manufacturing, the company focused on food safety and people safety, gaining SQF food safety certification in 2017 and becoming kosher certified in 2020.
“It’s fun to look back at when this was all manual. It’s a great reminder of just how far we’ve come.”
Matt Ross | COO | The Killer Brownie Co.
As more machines are introduced into the operation, Killer Brownie has also invested in building out a full safety team, starting with Sophie Ross, health and safety supervisor. With education in sports medicine, Sophie brought a focus on ergonomics and sought ways to keep the team healthy as well as safe.
The people safety team was built from the inside out, and Sophie helped choose Shannon Goodman to lead the team. With previous experience working for OSHA, Goodman not only understands the regulatory side of people safety, but she also prioritizes the people aspect.
“Shannon is such a great cultural fit because people safety can be really challenging,” Chimene said. “But she’s all about partnering with managers and helping people see that they can be successful, rather than just going out on the line and saying, ‘You can’t do that. It’s not safe.’ She’s helping everyone win through doing their best work.”
Allowing everyone to be their best is also a critical part of the culture. That’s relatively new in manufacturing, but it’s been foundational for Killer Brownie.
For instance, everyone meets twice a week in the main building to start the day with a team huddle, providing updates that allow everyone to be in the know
about what’s happening with the business and the operation. It’s also a chance to give shoutouts for wins and other achievements. Even with 150 employees in three buildings, the culture reflects the brand ethos: accepting, open and joyful.
That vibe is present in the huddles, but it continues throughout the day, whether it’s the yacht rock playing in the mixing room or people sporting Killer Brownie’s “Caramel Drippin’” T-shirts.
And then there are Brownie Points, the system where any team member can call out anyone doing anything well. Brownie Points are read aloud at monthly town halls, but so many come in that they’re usually capped at 50 for the sake of time. Then they’re all posted on a billboard in the production breakroom each month.
A brand like this isn’t built without someone wanting to scoop it up. Over the past few years, Killer Brownie has had its share of acquisition offers … but the company has remained steadfast in its values-driven intention for the future. Killer Brownie — and its culture — were built to last.
The Mayne and Ross families were not looking for an exit plan. But when the opportunity arose to partner with IFG, the parent company of King’s Hawaiian, Grillo’s Pickles and Innovation Bakers, the stars began to align.
IFG was formed by the Taira family, which founded King’s Hawaiian, as a way to invest in companies with values similar to those that built the iconic Hawaiian sweet roll brand. Unlike traditional private equity, which often focuses on investing and reselling, IFG is all about creating a culture-based and futurefocused portfolio.
“Culturally, we are completely aligned,” Chimene said. “We care about the same things, especially the things that matter most, which are people and vision. It made sense to partner with another family so similar to us, and they’ve brought alignment and genuine partnership to the table for our vision of the future.”
With resources and expertise in sales, marketing and manufacturing, IFG is setting up Killer Brownie for significant growth, ranging from placement on more store shelves to increased capacity through automation and possible expansion.
“IFG has created a sales team that represents our brand, along with King’s Hawaiian and Grillo’s Pickles,” Chimene said. “They’ve done such an amazing job investing in and building their sales force, and that means we can grow our sales team in a way that would have been really hard for us to do on our own.”
In light of the Killer Brownie rebrand, that support could manifest in advertising opportunities like billboards in major markets
Innovation with bakeable cardboard has allowed the Killer Brownie operation to streamline production at the end of the line and decrease the process’ labor intensity.
or more brand partnerships similar to the one Killer Brownie formed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023.
To usher in its new era, Killer Brownie created a strategic planning team composed of five directors from Killer Brownie and six people from IFG, with John Linehan, IFG president, serving as the team’s facilitator. While the products are available coast-to-coast, there is still white space for the brand to fill, including where it all began. In the modern-day perimeter, private brands dominate. But with backing from King’s Hawaiian — one of the most notable names in the in-store bakery segment— Killer Brownie gains a strategic edge.
It’s not only reclaiming the in-store space but also doubling down on its vibe with a new mission statement: “Unleashing creativity and sparking joy through every killer bite.”
It’s off to a great start, with Killer Brownie’s Breakfast Blondie now available on first-class United Airlines flights.
While Killer Brownie is impossible to ignore, the word “brownie” is notably absent from the mission. But that’s not unintentional. The focus is on who the brand is and what the future holds, and the vision is to become a standout brand in every major US market.
“The mission is now about what we’re building for the next 50 to 100 years,” Chimene said. “This is a long-term vision that will live beyond us. It’s about specializing in creativity and joy, and that goes beyond just brownies. But when we’re recognized for our brownies first, we can accomplish that mission.” CB
INNOVATIONS FROM THE BAKERY FLOOR
With its new branding and marketing strategy, and backing from Irresistible Foods Group, Killer Brownie is on the cusp of national notoriety. Automation is the future ... and it’s already begun. Below is a list of supplier innovations that can be found helping Killer Brownie crank out this uniquely decadent product.
Combi flowwrappers
Empire mixers
FoodTools slicing technology
JLS robotic case packing
Onexia automated palletizer
Reiser Vemag depositors
Revent ovens
Unifiller depositors
Wayne Automation tray formers
Killer Brownie leans into its decadence, reminding consumers it’s still alright to indulge.