Jubilations Is Award-Winning Cheesecake Company

Mississippi Farm Country Magazine
July-August, 2002

Since its beginnings over 20 years ago, Jubilations Cheesecake in Columbus has grown into a successful, award-winning specialty foods company. Jubilations offers some 60 different varieties of cheesecakes to food service distributors (restaurants), grocery stores, and mail order customers across the Southeast and the nation. Tammy Craddockës cheesecakes use the freshest, best ingredients, with as many as possible coming from Mississippi farmers.

Building a company of this size and scope takes a lot of sacrifice, hard work and imagination. In addition, owner Tammy Craddock must constantly stay on top of the latest developments in the specialty foods arena. Craddockës story is interesting, her journey a lesson for those who want to go into business for themselves.

Getting Started

¿Back when I started, I was a stay-at-home mom who had previously taught school," said Craddock. ¿As the children got older, I wanted to return to the business world, but I didnët want to teach." Craddock, an excellent cook, had been working with two local specialty foods stores baking breads and desserts for them to sell. Her reputation had grown so that people were calling her at home asking her to bake for them. Praying for guidance, she felt strongly that God was leading her to open her own business. She decided to come up with a great cheesecake and build her company around that product. Craddock threw away a lot of cheesecakes on the road to finding the very best recipe. She wanted to use only the freshest, best ingredients, with as many ingredients as possible coming from Mississippi farmers. Craddockës first cheesecake, called Cheesecake Supreme, remains her most popular. Since its creation, she has come up with varieties ranging from Butter Pecan to Chocolate Surprise, Classic Coconut, Praline, and Divine Sweet Potato. She recently added two sugar-free cakes. In her cheesecake, Craddock uses real butter, pure vanilla, fresh eggs and cream cheese. Her graham cracker crusts are hand-pressed and contain Mississippi pecans. ¿I buy my pecans from Delta Pecan and my sweet potatoes (for the Divine Sweet Potato cheesecake) from Vardaman sweet potato growers," she said. ¿For many years, I purchased eggs from a local farmer â until the volume of cheesecakes just got so big, he couldnët keep up."

Jubilations grew gradually through the years. So far, the largest order ever placed was from Cracker Barrel for 12,500 cheesecakes. Opryland Country Christmas placed an order for 72,000 slices of cheesecake. Craddock has also sold her cheesecakes on the QVC shopping network. Craddock worked out of her home for six years before moving to a 6,000 square-foot facility in west Columbus. Plans were on the drawing board for a 20,000 square-foot building when the economy slumped. ¿People stopped going out after September 11, and businesses stopped spending money on ¿extras" such as bonuses at Christmas and Thanksgiving. That hurt us", Craddock said. She says she had an agreement with Amtrak to supply cheesecakes for all of its trains, but at the last minute, the company decided to give its business to someone with a cheaper product. Jubilations kept two trains. As a result of economic conditions, Craddock, who hires some handicapped adults to staff her labor force, had to lay off half of her employees. This especially hurt. But as the nation begins to pull out of the slump, consumers will begin spending money again. Craddock, as a businesswoman, is accustomed to fighting the odds. She will no doubt survive this setback and emerge even bigger and better than before. Working in her favor is a business acumen that has garnered her numerous awards through the years, as well as a deep religious faith. Craddock feels that God guided her to the path she chose those 20 years ago, and feels He has a hand in every decision that she makes.

Her Advice for Beginners

Craddock says anyone interested in opening their own business should first draw up a business plan. ¿If you canët make it work on paper then you canët make it work period," she said. ¿Thatës what Mississippi State University Extension Serviceës Food and Fiber Center did for me. Their plan was _ inch thick. By the time I got it filled out, I had learned everything I needed to know about my business," she said. ¿It was invaluable. Be sure you know your market. You think your friends will support you, but some wonët. Make sure you are financially able to do without an income for an unknown period of time as your business gets on its feet and begins to grow. It took a number of years before we had enough business to feel secure. I started soliciting business from the food services industry, and then I begged local grocery stores to stock my product. My mail order business began to take shape three years after we started." Craddock also works with the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerceës ¿Make Mine Mississippi" campaign.

Craddockës husband Jim has always supported her efforts. He and his brother Leigh farm soybeans, corn, and catfish on over 3,000 acres in Lowndes County. Her husband is a former president of the Mississippi Corn Growers Association. Leigh is president of Lowndes county Farm Bureau. The Craddocks have been Farm Bureau members for 30 years. They have two grown children.

For more information about Jubilations Cheesecakes, call 1-800-530-7808. Or visit the web page at www.jubilations.com.

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