Entrepreneur's Spotlight: Cookies That Are 'Truly Wize'

The sight of watching her children and their friends eating junk food was too much for Caren Weaver to endure. The desire to find something better for her children to snack on drove Weaver to develop what is now a nationally recognized product.

Weaver’s organic cookies have gone from being taste-tested at the local YWCA to being served at the national 2007 Oscar Awards. Truly Wize Bakery is no longer just a small operation in western Pennsylvania. The Greensburg-based bakery is now a ‘preferred’ gift among major corporations.

A graduate of the Culinary School of America in New York, Weaver has geared her business toward being completely green. Even the boxes and wrapping paper she uses are from recycled paper.

“I don’t just want to have an organic product that’s healthy for the people that eat it,” Weaver said. “My goal is to be completely ‘green’ and eco-friendly.

“I really believe that people are becoming more aware and that they truly want a better tomorrow for their children. That’s how it started for me,” Weaver added. “With the rise of childhood obesity and some of the food contaminations that are out there, I wanted to offer my children something more pure.”

After six years in business, Weaver continues to live out her dream while trying to work toward her mission. She currently has several employees and will soon be increasing her staff.

While recent media attention isn’t what drives her, the quest to have the best product does.

“I am very competitive by nature,” Weaver admits. “I have developed a whole line of savory biscotti that wasn’t out there - including Roasted Red Pepper, Sundried Tomato, and Basil Kalamata Olive and Herb," Weaver said. "I want to be cutting edge. It’s what drives me every day.

“Business has been good to me here, but my business wouldn’t be where it is without the Internet,” Weaver added. “Major metro cities are typically more up and concerned with environmental issues.”

Because she is driven to create healthy products for her kids, it is from them that she receives her proudest moments.

“When my kids give me the thumbs up on a new product and tell me how great they think it is, that’s when I feel my proudest,” Weaver said. “I’m doing it for them.”

While food was always an important part of her family growing up, Weaver’s niche is unique.

“Both of my parents were fantastic cooks growing up,” Weaver said. “I get my love and passion for food from them.”

Weaver has learned a lot in her time in the food industry, including her bakery in New York ‘The Muffin Beanery Express’. She also lists the Garden City Hotel bakery among her career stops.

“The name was terrible, but it was a great learning experience,” Weaver said. “The most important thing I learned along the way was to not let anything get in the way of what I wanted to do.

“The biggest obstacle you face is having enough capital to do what you want to do. I always believed the money would be there and I have always just gone for it.”

While she loves her business, Weaver isn’t without reservations. There is one particular aspect of her business that she wouldn’t mind changing.

“If I could change one thing about my web-based business, it would be the lack of one-on-one interaction with my customers,” Weaver said.