Mompreneur Kari Doyle launched her new product in August of 2014. We chatted with the mom of children Kilian (age 6) and Addison (age 4) about allergies and motherhood.
You founded She’s Nuts! All Natural, All Tasty Butters. How did you become interested in allergy-free nut butters?
I truly loved peanut butter and when my daughter’s allergy made it dangerous to have peanut butter in the house, we had to seek out other options. We had to start using peanut butter alternatives and I didn’t love my options, so I decided to make my own. We try to follow a fairly Paleo diet at home and are always trying to decrease the amount of sugar in our diets, so that’s why my nut butters are low to no sugar. I started selling to friends, who then told lots of people, and eventually I decided to make a go of it in December of 2014.
What else makes the butters unique?
Our nut butters are all natural and considered Paleo compliant. We don’t use any real or artificial sugars in three of the four flavors (Cinnamon Almond Pecan, Cinnamon Cashew, and Vanilla Espresso Almond Pecan). The Chocolate Almond Pecan is made with a dairy free, soy free chocolate and only has four grams of sugar per two tablespoons. Right now, between seasonal and year round retailers, we have about 20 retailers in South Dakota. I will set up at local farmer’s markets, as well.
How do you balance work and family?
Actually, I’ve been really working on that this year and it all keeps coming back to prioritizing what’s important and leaving what isn’t. I love my business because I can share something I love with people, see their happy faces when they try our product, and I get to spend more time with the people that matter most to me, my family.
What has motherhood taught you?
I’ve learned what’s important in life—it’s not what we have or don’t have, but learning to be content in every situation
What advice do you share with other parents?
The distance between how you are raising your children and the end result is so far apart that you really don’t know if what you are doing will produce what you desire or not. So find the parents who are experienced, patient, loving, and the other descriptors you find valuable and constantly pick their brains.
How do you stay active?
I really love fitness. I teach Remix at The Studio, and take a variety of other classes there. I did Crossfit for about a year; enjoy running, and yoga when I have time. I also play the violin and played for the Black Hills Symphony for a year before having children.
What Christmas traditions do you have?
I love to make Christmas cookies with the kids, and we have succumbed to the Elf on the Shelf tradition. Ours is named Elvey and is the bane of my existence from Dec 1 until Dec 25. Each year we go out into the hills and get a fresh tree to decorate.