NEIGHBORS CRAZY ABOUT COOKIES

ARTICLE BY VANELIS RIVERA
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR can often evoke images of extending friendly greetings, gifting homemade pies, or even graciously dog sitting on occasion, but for Meryl Kennedy Farr, Chairman and CEO of Neighbors, it meant coming together with a group of investors and business owners to save a local failing business. In August of 2016, Neighbors acquired the assets of Pine Valley Foods, Inc, which had been in the fundraising industry producing cookie dough for over twenty years. The story is one of “persistence, grit, hard work, dedication, and relentlessness in the face of adversity,” says Farr, adding, “It’s also a story of neighbors coming together to help others.” At the time, the purchase saved many local jobs. Now, their tubs of cookie dough help support communities all over the country. “We can all give back and in return, life is a little sweeter.”

The youngest of four daughters, Farr was born and raised in the “rural village” of Mer Rouge, Louisiana. After completing a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Spanish from the University of Georgia, she opted to return home to assist her father in the family rice business. At the mere age of twenty-one, she successfully oversaw the start-up and development of Kennedy Rice, Mill, LLC. Envisioning the need to bring sustainable and organic products into the retail rice market, Farr and her sisters launched their own branded rice products. As president and owner, she successfully engineered its implementation, and currently packages farm to table rice for their brand 4Sisters Rice, formerly known as KenChaux Rice.

When they bought Pine Valley Foods and incorporated it into Neighbors, Farr knew it needed some revamping. “I guess you make it your own when it’s yours,” says Farr. As far as product development, one of their challenges was figuring out who they were because “there is truly a cookie everywhere you turn,” says Farr. Quickly realizing it wasn’t possible to be everything to everybody, they found their niche. At this point, Neighbors represents a dynamic effort focused on producing superior quality dough, quality driven manufacturing at their facility, and product transparency for their customers. “For us and for the size of the company, that was really a very important move.” A major step for the company was working on more private labeling, where they manufacture for another company’s brand. “I can’t say the names of two of the really large cookie companies that we manufacture for, but there are two very well known names that we produce for on a daily basis,” says Michelle Bernard, Neighbors Director of Marketing.

Since the procurement, Neighbors has never stopped evolving. Aside from their significant adjustments toward co-manufacturing and retail, there have also been several monumental developments on the fundraising side of the business. “This year we will make our biggest change to date,” says Farr. “With Covid-19 and the rise of uncertainty around schools, we have been forced to think differently about what we are doing as a company and the services that we provide.” They ended up creating new ways schools can continue their fundraising success with less touch points and more order visibility. “The future is here for fundraising and it looks better than ever,” exclaims Farr. In development for the beginning of the school year is a website which will allow schools to create their own page and personal links for each student. That will enable students and parents to email their fundraising page or share it on social media, making it easier for participants to place orders online. “It’s a really great way to get more people involved because you’re not having to go face-to-face to show them a brochure, you can just send them a link and they can shop online at their convenience,” says Bernard. Not only is this a great idea and a better direction for fundraising, it simplifies their already direct process on their website, which has made fundraising fun and profitable for schools, clubs, sports teams, churches, and non-profit organizations around the country for nearly twenty years.

Many of the Neighbors cookie dough recipes were already developed when Farr took over the assets of the company. However, they have focused on launching higher quality products, including a new line that includes Nestle Toll House morsels. Customer favorites include White Chocolate Macadamia, Caramel Pecan Chocolate C hip, Peanut Butter, M&M, Snickerdoodle, and their number one seller, Chunky Chocolate Chip. But Farr’s “all-time favorite” is their oatmeal chocolate chip, made with real oats and Nestle morsels. Neighbors has also started focusing on more “on trend” products, such as edible cookie doughs. Since their launch during the fall of 2018, the edible doughs have become a large portion of their business. “Many people were eating raw cookie dough for years; we have just made it safe to eat,” says Farr, referring to their eggless recipe, which uses heat-treated flour. “It’s simply delicious,” says Bernard. Right now customers can choose from Chunky Chocolate Chip, M&M, Brownie Batter, or Birthday Cake. At the perfect portion size, cookies (or a spoonful of edible dough) makes it easy to indulge without overworking your sweet tooth. A quick browse through their retail shop or fundraising catalogs will inspire you to find any excuse to indulge in America’s favorite treat.

Though the company claims that “happy” starts at their online shop, for Farr the road to building a sugar rush empire has not always been easygoing. “The biggest lesson is that turnarounds are not for the faint of heart,” admits Farr, recalling that someone told her she should do turnarounds only if she wanted to die before her thirty-fifth birthday. “They take a lot of effort, they take a lot of love, a lot of passion,” she adds. Nothing in life is guaranteed, but she has found that taking that great leap is what has formed the faith and fashion of her company. “My father built a beautiful culture. We have wonderful people, some people who have been with us for thirty years. And that was my background,” Farr says. Initially she underestimated the value of culture, but walking into a very specific ethos at Neighbors and then having to turn that around, while also earning people’s love and respect, proved to be extremely challenging but ultimately so rewarding. To her, business is about relationships. She knows that most vendors don’t just want to be sold a product, they want to be partners, and customers buy based on loyalty, wanting to know that if a mistake is made, a company is going to make an effort to remedy it: “I think that’s culture, and it’s very easy to do.”

A daughter, sister, wife, and mother, Farr is a pioneering entrepreneur whose values command her business ethics and goals. As one of the few women in agribusiness and her family’s company at the time, Farr relied on her family for support as she navigated the new terrain. Thanks to the experiences gained, Farr hasn’t shied away from embracing a commitment to diversity in the business world: “In ways, it’s been a beautiful time to be a woman and to be a woman in our culture.” Bernard echoes the same sentiment adding, “I’ll tell you what, I came from a women-run business into this, so it was a lateral move for me as far as that goes. I really do like working for women entrepreneurs.” Bernard considers Farr one of the most driven people she knows, drawing inspiration from her work ethic and hands-on approach. “I love that there are different people in the mix because it just makes such a better team,” says Farr, explaining the significance of hiring people of different cultural and religious backgrounds. Bernard attests to the enjoyable work environment saying, “I really love it here. The people are so friendly. It is definitely a family atmosphere. Everybody is proud of the work that is being done and the potential for growth within the company.”

For Farr, the idea of being neighborly can be encompassed by a cookie. “A cookie in itself is such an act of love.” When you support a neighbor’s fundraiser or bake cookies in your house to share with your children or neighbors, that comes from love. There may be tons of sweets that have the same effect, but for Farr cookies tend to bring very specific fond memories. “There’s nothing more wholesome or pure than the chocolate chip cookie to me,” she says. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what cookie you’re crazy for, as long as you pass the love along.

Follow Neighbors Cookies on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about their cookies and other sweet treats and visit their website to browse their mouthwatering cookie catalogs: https://www.neighborscookies.com/.