We had the good fortune of connecting with Kellee Everts and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kellee, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Grammies Crackers bakes small-batch, hand-crafted, wholesome, and delicious graham crackers in a variety of flavors, including our Classics, Limited Edition favorites and Specialty varieties. Every graham cracker we hand-craft is made with love, like everything should be. This is how a spark turned into a seed, then a nudge, and became the business that Grammies Crackers is today.

Our family welcomed our first grandchild into the world. Wanting to spoil her like every grandmother would, I looked for a sweet treat that wasn’t processed food or full of preservatives. I grew up loving graham crackers as a treat and was so dismayed at how bland and cardboard-like they’d become in the stores. Through much trial and error, and loads of taste-testing, I set out to make my own graham crackers. This is how the “OG” cracker was born (the Original Grammie)! By this time, one grandchild had become three, and this exclusive group approved wholeheartedly that these were the best graham crackers and the best treat ever! One afternoon when the whole family was together, the grandchildren were enjoying their homemade graham crackers from ‘Grammie’, and the question was laid on the table, “Mom, these are amazing, and the kids love them. Why don’t you sell these?” The only reasonable answer was obvious, “Absolutely NOT!” But the idea, like a seed, was planted. This seed became a nudge, then turned into a thump, and eventually, through a series of events, encouragement from the family, and a lot of prayers, the fateful decision was reached. A question that I always tried to answer was, “How could I make a positive difference?” One day, while reading yet another news article about some horrific event that had happened in the world, the answer came. Quite out of the blue like an answered prayer – “Share love, one wholesome graham cracker at a time.”

This thought became foundational, and soon, I found that I couldn’t sleep because there was so much to do! On October 1, 2022, Grammies Crackers was launched with participation in our first local farmers market in San Antonio, Texas.

Grammies Crackers are now available nationwide through on-line shipping at our website and through our Etsy Shoppe. You can also purchase Grammies Crackers at any one of the many local farmers markets in San Antonio, TX, and surrounding areas, with locations listed on our website and Instagram and updated weekly.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. Having a background in customer service, customer experience, brand management and organizational development has helped tremendously with launching and building Grammies Crackers LLC. I spent numerous years in retail management before shifting to retail development and property management, and eventually becoming a vice president of learning and organizational development and hospitality. After that, I became a Customer Experience and Management consultant. This previous knowledge and experience have been tremendously helpful in launching and building Grammies Crackers LLC.

A positive, “can-do” attitude and a relentless quench for learning and wealth of curiosity have been very necessary qualities to possess, as is a strong work ethic. I come from a family of small business owners and artists who give and gave their all to put food on the table and build good lives for their families. My father, who had an outboard motor shop and was a boat-racer, would sometimes work two or three jobs during the slim months in winter to ensure the bills were paid and we had enough to eat. During the most difficult times is when I learned the importance of being creative and resilient. For example, if we had no money for furniture, my father would go to the scrap yard and build his own couch, table and chairs. Similarly, we baked our own bread and made granola weekly instead of purchasing from the store. This was largely because we had very little money, and making our own from scratch was economically sound.

My great-grandfather, a successful and renowned California Plein-Aire artist, taught me that it was possible to make a very good living by doing what you loved. I learned at a very early age the importance of working hard for what you believe in. I think that the only limits we have are the ones we put on ourselves. Working hard and having a strong work ethic are gifts, and coupling that with a positive, “can-do” attitude with lots of faith are a winning combination!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting our great city, I would most assuredly take her to The Pearl for some shopping, relaxation at the Hiatus Spa + Retreat, then grab lunch at Best Quality Daughter. Of course, I would make sure to take her to Riverwalk for the pure tourism factor, and then visit the historic Alamo and gardens. We would head up to the Tower of Americas for the best view of the city and to grab a drink at the top in Bar 61. I would definitely take her strolling on Main Street in Boerne, and a nice stroll along the creek.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shoutout to Dawn Witte, founder of Desire to Inspire Foundation (https://desiretoinspirefoundation.org/). She single handedly started this incredible organization and movement to build on the kindness and generosity in all of us. The foundation is a non-profit organization that connects with communities around the world to break the cycle of extreme poverty. Our global partnerships and outreach initiatives provide resources to fulfill basic needs and bring sustainability and love to people all over the world. As a friend, she has been extremely supportive of my efforts to build Grammies Crackers as a business that shares love, one Grammie at a time. Her foundation is set up to do similar…share love and help others, one person at a time. She is an inspiration and an absolutely joy to work with.

Website: https://www.grammiescrackers.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grammiescrackers/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/91469400/admin/feed/posts/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084011768334

Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1664327894/8-ounces-of-gluten-free-small-batch?click_key=829f8ef89ad5a180012f519600c61da462531526%3A1664327894&click_sum=bb312728&ref=hp_rv-1

PublicSquare: https://app.publicsq.com/featured/marketplace/c83f19a0-d218-11ed-ae83-cd430b2edff1?openedFrom=search

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