Anne Beiler sold pretzels and other goodies at a local farmer's market to support her husband Jonas' free family counseling services. But the pretzels were so bad, Anne was about to stop making them. Then, Jonas tweaked the recipe and the new pretzels became an instant hit. Today, Auntie Anne's soft pretzels are a worldwide franchising business with an annual revenue of more than $440 million.
"Rollin' in the Dough" — Top Pot
Two Seattle brothers, focused on remodeling coffee shops, set out to open a café of their own. They decided doughnuts were a perfect match for their 1940's design tastes and might set them apart from coffee shops selling high end pastries. Turns out they were right.
"Millions in the Making?" — Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co.
Cal Hancock remembered her grandmother's lobster restaurant in Maine taught tourists the "right way" to eat lobster. Now, she's taken all the fuss out, developing a roster of award-winning dishes using coastal delicacies from Maine, freezing them and shipping them to your doorstep.
In February of 2002, my brother Michael and I opened our first Top Pot Doughnuts on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. The company has since grown to 12 company-operated cafés.
