Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Obasih.
Hi Annie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My daughter, Navada, learned that I had made my own homemade syrup one day. I had shared that I had run out and made my own, after making my pancakes one Sunday. I definitely didn’t want to eat them dry! Navada asked me had I always know how to do that and I said yes. I shared with her that it was my job to make the syrup for the biscuits in the morning while the family was getting ready for school or work.
Navada then asked about adding flavors and we brainstormed ideas. Of course, the traditional flavors, such as, strawberry or raspberry came up but we were more focused on flavors that weren’t so instantly thought of when you thought of pancakes.
Our four original flavors were pineapple, mint, lemon, and jalapeno honey- which instantly became the fan favorite. Surprisingly, our syrups are not just for pancakes. They can be used in beverages like hot or iced coffees, smoothies, tea. Poured over fruit and yogurts. The ginger and jalapeno honey pair well with meats, such as chicken, salmon, and ham as glazes.
We decided then that this was our family business. We jumped into perfecting our flavors, getting licensing, locating a commercial kitchen, and selling, at farmer’s markets and our website. One of the most important aspects of our syrups are that we were very intention on ONLY using the real foods to flavor our syrups. There are no artificial flavors, additives, or preservatives. Just REAL pineapples, lemons, mint, jalapenos and honey, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla beans.
The beginning of our journey started in 2016 and we have been continuously growing, learning, and a few years ago, we added our newest flavors, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla bean- which gives jalapeno honey a run for her money!
We took a break over this last year and focused on our online selling but we are now planning on continuing our 2026 tour of farmers markets across Atlanta, which include Chattahoochee Food Works, Community Farmers Market, and pop up events in Gwinnett County.
Through it all our favorite moment is when someone is trying our syrups for the first time, you hear that lip smack, they eyes open wide and what comes next is, “WOW! These are really good!”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road. Fun, but not smooth. We successfully crowd funded some of our start up funds and was able to get your logo, colors, website, labels completely done. This particular crowd funding required payments back into the pot for other businesses to also do the same and to repay “investors.” Monthly, it took more from our cashflow than we were bringing in at the time
We also were impacted by Covid 19, in 2020. Not being able to actively get into our commercial kitchen or really move about, our business took a hit for most of that year. We were able to shift, slightly, to trying going fully online but we were just getting started, and farmers markets were a no go.
We came back from that when we could fully get into a farmer’s market schedule. My daughter ran most of the logistical and operational sides of the business and her personal income started taking a hit while trying to grow the business and was the decision to pull back in 2025. It was the best choice for her to be able to come back more supported financially and with clearer vision.
Overall, cashflow has been our biggest obstacle and ensuring that we can sustain our business.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am currently retired from the State of New York with The ARC of Monroe. The Arc of Monroe is an organization that empowers and supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
As a Direct Support Professional my job was to help those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to live in the community, enhancing independence, teaching life skills, and ensuring safety. I provided support and monitoring in the group home setting, cooking meals, cleaning, maintaining schedules, and bridging the gaps and seamlessly integrating with the community.
I specialized in the field of Social Work, in which, I received my Bachelors and Masters Degree, while working full time, being a single parent raising three kids.
I am known for being unstoppable. In my twenties I developed an eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa and could no longer drive due to the deterioration of the retina. I took braille and mobility classes to learn to adapt to this new world. I raised my kids, started an African clothing store, and traveled to Denmark, England, and Israel. In 2011, I left New York, bought my first home ever at 58 years old, and started Annie’s Gourmet Syrup, with my daughter Navada.
Currently, at 75 years old, I am most proud of everything I listed in the what I am known for response. It isn’t lost on me, being a person with a disability, life could have seemed to “end there” in my twenties and I never let it stop me.
What sets me apart is being open to new experiences, not feeling sorry for myself, and leading the way.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
When I was 18 years old, I left my small rural hometown in Grenada, Mississippi and moved to Upstate New York. I was the first to leave and the first person, in my family of thirteen siblings, to get a high school/GED education.
Somehow, I knew that was my way “out.” To not only be another sharecropper in the fields. Yes, I guess I could say I am a bit of a risk taker.
I took a risk to keep after my education, working full time, and raising three children. To me, this probably felt like what there was for me to do. I think I was driven to keep reaching, learning, and growing.
Starting businesses as a woman, a disabled woman is definitely a risk. I think a person should consider what risks they take, do you have as much information as you can acquire but if something is burning inside, like won’t let you go, type of desire, I think people should definitely go for it and go for it all the way.
Pricing:
- $9.99
- $14.99
- 18.99
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.anniesgourmetsyrup.com
Image Credits
Navada Stucking
