Today we’d like to introduce you to David Glass
Hi David, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The idea of Darden’s Delights originated at a local preschool bake sale. Parents were encouraged to donate baked goods, so my wife Betsy made and submitted a few fudge pies from a recipe passed down from her grandmother. We heard after the event that the pies were a big hit but didn’t really think much about it. A few months later, the phone rang and someone asked if she could buy a pie.
Shortly thereafter, we established Darden’s Delights as a pie company. Our goal is to harness the power of entrepreneurship for the benefit of individuals with developmental disabilities. It is named for both the Darden Family of Waycross, Georgia, and our daughter, Darden, who was born with Down syndrome. We feel that embracing entrepreneurship, which we believe is accessible to everyone, is a great way to create opportunity, prosperity and community for people with disabilities.
In the beginning, we focused on any and all opportunities to market and sell pies anywhere, from preschool carpool lines to holiday markets and everything in between. After gaining some traction in the first few years, we were encouraged to participate in a business planning course at a local university. This four month class culminated in a “shark tank” type competition, and Darden’s Delights finished second.
In the years that followed, the pies expanded in both flavors and sizes offered. We started with the fudge pie, which is still the most popular, into approximately 30+ flavors in four different sizes. We went from operating with a Cottage Food license to utilizing a commercial kitchen with a food manufacturing license. We purchased more equipment to keep up with production and started doing more events and picking up more retailers; we ship to all 50 states and enjoy speaking and sharing our experiences and unique perspective to various groups. In every pie box, we share the purpose of Darden’s Delights, and we’re so grateful for those in the community near and far who support it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I doubt any enterprise starting from scratch would consider the road smooth. There is a tremendous amount to learn when starting and building a business. More often than not, it is better get started with an idea, navigate the bumps along the path and figure it out as you go. It really boils down to trial and error and having the tenacity to find a solution when facing problems. In a manufacturing business like ours, we are always juggling many tasks; it is not always easy to monitor and maintain inventory levels, ingredients, materials, storage issues, tracking orders, etc. In the heat of peak pie season (November and December), it is a real challenge to keep up with everything. And there is always the issue of balancing the cost of goods with offering competitive pricing to our customers. Inflation has exacerbated this process.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Darden’s Delights, LLC?
Darden’s Delights has been around for 15 years. We focus on retail, corporate, wholesale, events and fundraising opportunities. We specialize in making unique and delicious sweet and savory pies; we are known for our Dangerously Delicious Fudge Pie, our flagship flavor when we launched the company. The way our product looks sets us apart because our pies are packaged as gifts, which is a no brainer for clients, friends, family, teachers, sales reps, weddings, events, etc. Also, we offer custom labels for customers wanting to create a more personal gift or favor. We love to share the pie love all across the county – we ship to all 50 states and Canada. It is very rewarding to connect with our customers, and we love hearing that our pies are part of their lives, whether it’s for the holidays, birthdays, or just needing a “pie fix”. And last but not least, our foundational principle adds a unique twist. The brand carries the message “Pies with Purpose” which gets to the idea of entrepreneurship to promote opportunity and community membership. For that reason, we give back a “slice” of our revenue to other organizations and ideas that support our purpose.
How do you think about happiness?
We started this company with an idea, $50 and a small freezer. It makes us so happy to look back and see how the community embraced our pies, our purpose and our daughter Darden. It’s incredibly rewarding to take a mustard seed of an idea, along with some creativity and hard work, and see it take shape and flourish.
Pricing:
- Our products range from $5 to $30, depending on size and flavor. They are fully baked and frozen, so you can stock up!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dardensdelights.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dardensdelights/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DardensDelights
