Ayeshah Abuelhiga’s initial concept for Mason Dixie Foods was a restaurant chain inspired by Southern cuisine. The bigger opportunity, however, turned out to be a packaged brand of better-for-you frozen biscuits. Seven years since its debut, Mason Dixie, which also markets clean ingredient scones, rolls and soon-to-be-launched breakfast sandwiches, has sold millions of baked goods. Perhaps more importantly, the company has gained a foothold in a legacy food category and provided Abuelhiga with the social capital to call out antiquated ways of doing business in the baking industry.
I started Mason Dixie in 2014 to change comfort food for the better. “Homestyle” cooking shouldn’t mean settling for cheap, processed ingredients and scary chemicals.
I am a first generation American and I proudly watched my immigrant parents serve quality comfort food at their small carry-out restaurant and convenience store.
After college, I craved that same food I grew up on, but the closest thing I found was fast food – and no decent biscuits! So I started by making a REAL biscuit and I gave up my big corporate job to open a small restaurant people loved.
Those same customers inspired me to make our biscuits available at home. I froze our dough, bought a vacuum sealer and started selling our biscuits out of an ice chest.
Years later, I’m still finding ways to get more great comfort food on your table.
So go ahead! Butter that biscuit, crack into that scone, and lick those sticky bun fingers clean!
A former product manager with Audi, Abuelhiga has positioned Mason Dixie as “the modern face of Southern food.” The brand is carried in over 5,000 stores across the U.S., including , Target, Publix, Kroger, Costco and all Whole Foods Market locations. Last year, Mason Dixie raised $6.3 million in a Series A round that was primarily led by female investors, and Abuelhiga expects the company to be profitable by the end of 2021. Along with continued growth of the brand, she now has her sights set on revolutionizing the U.S. baking industry and dismantling the outdated traditions upon which it was built, a point she discussed in detail as part of our conversation.
Abuelhiga also spoke about how the combination of her family’s history in the food business along with the impact of bias and inequality in her career prompted her foray into entrepreneurship, the spark that spurred the launch of a packaged food brand and how she prepared for and managed meteoric growth. She explained what is needed to create transformational change in baking and how the company is following up a major rebrand with an infusion of socially responsible messaging.
Interview questions:
Career to Launch | Prior to founding Mason Dixie Foods in 2014, your career included stints with Audi and Leidos. Can you tell us about your career and the decision to start Mason Dixie Foods?
Parents |What role did your parents play when you told them about Mason Dixie Foods?
Kickstarter |You launched your brand on Kickstarter. Please tell us about the campaign and the results?
Covid | You had a bricks and mortar store in DC. What happened when COVID 19 hit?
Pivot | When did you decide to pivot from a retail operation to manufacturing?
Whole Foods |Whole Foods plays an important role in the Mason Dixie Foods story. Please tell us about being “secret-shopped” by a regional marketing director?
Partner | Your co-founder and COO was Ross Perkins. Please describe his background and role in the launch?
Chobani Incubator Program (2019) | What is the Chobani Incubator Program? What role did it play in Mason Dixie Foods?
Mason Dixie Today | Can you provide a snapshot of Mason Dixie today? How many stores, annual revenue?
Series A | Last year, you closed on a $4.8 million Series A. Can you tell us about the process and the investors?
Growth | What is the growth strategy for Mason Dixie Foods?
Connect with Ayeshah on LinkedIn
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