ENTREPRENEUR WATCH

Laurie Lynch, owner of the Lollipop Tree, holds a jar of the Original Pepper Jelley which the store is known for. Photo:  Deb Cram

What began as a home-based business by a mother who wanted to take care of her children at home and help out with the family finances, has evolved into a multi-million dollar tale of entrepreneurial pluck and opportunity seized. “There were no grand plans,” said Laurie Lynch, the co-founder and owner of The Lollipop Tree in Portsmouth which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Known for its motto of “Good Simple Food,” The Lollipop Tree has retained a home and family attitude while becoming a nationally known creator of naturally made, gourmet products. Since 1981, the first year of the administration of President Ronald Reagan, Lynch has overseen the creation of a growing, 50-product line that includes pepper jellies, specialty bread and pancake mixes, and grilling and glazing sauces. The company has grown from two employees (Laurie and husband Bob) to around 60 workers during busy production periods. Lynch said that the company’s most important accomplishments include its dedication “to support the community in every way we can” and creating a family-focused work environment.

SV:  What’s the best part of being an entrepreneur?

LAURIE LYNCH:  The adventure of blazing a trail through unknown territory and unknown ground.

SV:  What’s your most popular product?

LAURIE LYNCH:  Pepper jelly ... the one we started with and it’s still the most popular. And today we have five flavors of pepper jelly.

SV:  What are you most proud of?

LAURIE LYNCH:  I think the integrity of this company, the fact that we are a family. We believe that every employee is as important as any other. We make all our own products here at The Lollipop Tree and we work together as a family.We are also dedicated to giving back to the community by supporting the arts, or the University of New Hampshire or the Save the Steeple project in Portsmouth. One of our major contributions began in 2004 when we began donating a portion of proceeds from our monkey bread mix for Heifer Project International, an organization working to end global hunger by providing livestock and training to people in need.

SV:  What kinds of hopes did you have at the beginning?

LAURIE LYNCH:  There were no grand plans. At the time, I had children at home and needed to help with the family finances while not worrying about finding day care. In the beginning, it was me, my husband Bob, my mother and grandmother working out of the house, cooking all night on the kitchen stove. The children were taste tasters and our sales force as we first went to women’s exchanges and farmer’s market. We are really excited that our daughter Julie has recently rejoined the company.

SV:  What has surprised you the most?

LAURIE LYNCH:  There were many surprises along the way but the one consistent was hard work. Sometimes you don’t know where your business will take you but no matter which road you take, you need to put your head down head and work hard.

SV:  Do you have Lollipop Tree products at home?

LAURIE LYNCH:  I do and I use them all the time. That’s one of the reasons why we have more than 200 recipes for our products on our Web site.

SV:  Where do you see the company in five years?

LAURIE LYNCH:  Doing the same thing we are doing now. We are really happy with who we are and we want to stay in Portsmouth.