Peggy Bakes will expand production at Nourish Farms’ commercial kitchen in Sheboygan County.
Founder Peggy Sonnenburg has successfully nurtured her small-batch granola business from a home kitchen concept to a growing brand with customers nationwide with support from the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation, Progress Lakeshore, the Small Business Development Center at UW-Green Bay, and the Food Finance Institute.
Founded in May 2024 in Valders, Peggy Bakes granola features ingredients such as Montmorency cherries, French cocoa, fresh lemon zest, Wisconsin-made maple syrup, and raw honey.
“What started in my home kitchen has grown faster than I ever imagined,” says Sonnenburg. “I’m so excited about what this next chapter means for me, for Nourish, and for the customers who have made all of this possible.”
A Sheboygan native, Sonnenburg has long supported and volunteered for the Sheboygan Falls-based nonprofit, which promotes good-food education and experiences, sustainability, and community engagement. By producing granola on-site, Peggy Bakes helps Nourish generate additional revenue for its educational programs, while Sonnenburg gains access to a commercial facility that enables larger-scale production.
“Nourish is happy to not only offer our kitchen and farm for educational opportunities, but we are also glad that our kitchen can support local, mission-aligned businesses as they grow. We are proud to be an advocate for small producers and farmers, promoting local and seasonal foods, and helping our community make wholesome food choices”, Ryan Laswell, executive director of Nourish Farms.
Peggy Bakes is maintaining its headquarters in Manitowoc County.
Sonnenburg is thankful for the assistance offered by SCEDC and SBDC Business Counselor Ray York with her start-up planning.
“Ray York has been pivotal to my success. He’s answered countless questions, connected me to the right resources, and constantly looks for ways to support my journey. In fact, he was the one who told me about the local Pitch Competition, something I wouldn’t have discovered otherwise, which led to two wins (county and regional), press coverage, and a surge of new customers. That kind of guidance is invaluable when you’re building something from scratch.”
This next phase of growth comes as Peggy Bakes has seen online orders ship to more than 20 states and increasing interest from retail partners and specialty food stores across Wisconsin. Sonnenburg plans to grow her wholesale footprint and bring on additional support for baking, packaging, and market sales.
