Hidden Gems: Meet Tiffani Neal of Barlow’s Foods

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffani Neal.

Hi Tiffani, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Barlow’s started in my home in Atlanta’s historic West End neighborhood. Since I can remember I’ve always loved to cook and had a strong appreciation for food and it’s ability to bring people together. During the start of Barlow’s I was in a great space professionally with a successful career in medical sales. I had prior owned businesses and knew that entrepreneurship was something that I wanted to give another go. In the beginning I wasn’t completely sold and entertained a variety of ideas until one day I made breakfast for a friend who at the time would not stop raving about the pancakes. In that moment it’s like a light bulb went off and I was immediately obsessed with the idea of turning my pancake recipe into a shelf stable product. I remember going to The Container Store the following day and buying these paper pint containers, like the ones used for ice cream. I started collecting mailing addresses and sent samples of this soon to be product to anyone that I could think of. Majority of the feedback was positive and enough for me to push forward. At the time I had no idea what to call the “thing” I was creating. Working late night, my desk was a mess but on my desk was a photo of my grandfather. In that moment it was like a sign to honor my grandfather Barlow a farmer who due to the times never owned the land that he tended to.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running a business is a roller coaster. So many lessons learned thus far and it’s all been worth it. We make all of our products from scratch meaning we blend our flours, fill and seal the final product. Our seasonal syrups, like our best selling Flavor of Georgia Product of the year winner, Peach cobbler is hand made and filled. I have a knack for sales, but the manufacturing…yikes! It’s been a huge learning curve. To see our batches go from around 40 units a week when this all started to hundreds of units in hours. It has been insane but amazing to experience. Production is one of the most challenging pieces because I’ve never done this before. There are very few first generation food manufacturers in this space and to be one of them it’s been a lot of “learn as you go”. In addition to manufacturing learning the food business and the different avenues of distribution has been interesting. Navigating the space, staying true to the vision while muting outside noise is something that you learn to balance.

As you know, we’re big fans of Barlow’s Foods . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Barlow’s makes a 3in1 pancake biscuit waffle mix and seasonal fruit syrups. We believe in real food made with real simple ingredients. We prioritize ingredients, our mix is aluminum free made with organic unenriched unbleached flour. Our fruit syrups are made with real fruit no corn syrup, fillers or artificial ingredients. Our goal is to create versatile pantry staples that are simple, delicious and can be used across every every day for any type of meal, drinks or desserts.

Barlow’s products can be found in Georgia The Fresh Market locations, local favorite like Lucy’s Mart and via our online website, BarlowsFoods.com. This year we made our debut in Washington DC. We launched our 3in1 pancake biscuit waffle mix, maple and peach cobbler syrup in the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture. To now be available in the NMAAHC is huge, its really emotional considering our story and my grandfather’s legacy. This recent accomplishment has been full circle moment for us.

Any big plans?
We are super excited to continue to grow our footprint. This year we incorporated automation into our production process. This is a huge upgrade and has allowed us to increase our production runs and turnaround times to better service customer needs and be a resource for other businesses who may need co-packing assistance. In all it’s just really amazing to continue to grow and see something that started with a thought continue to blossom.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://barlowsfoods.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barlowsfoods/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarlowsFoods/