MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — A new company on the Lakeshore makes a big splash with a unique win.
- Manitowoc local Peggy Sonnenberg won a regional pitch-off against dozens of other businesses
- Her company, Peggy Bakes, offers granola with no refined sugar
- She will also get to present in front of an audience at Lambeau Field next June
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
A Manitowoc County company receives a rare, statewide honor. "Peggy Bakes" is the new company that's making waves statewide and, despite the product, this story is anything but granola.
A company only a few months old, with the pitch of the region.
Peggy Sonnenberg took home first place in the new north pitch contest. A "Shark Tank" style pitch event for local entrepreneurs. Up against dozens of other small businesses in the state, Peggy's unique granola formula, which she says has no refined sugar, impressed judges at the regional level.
"You've gotta have purpose and passion in what you do,” Sonnenberg said. “In pitches like that, they are looking for that."
Peggy's Manitowoc County Company began only this past summer.
"I'm just going to do it,” Peggy told herself. “I always wanted to do something entrepreneurial I just never quite had the courage."
Very soon after, she was already at area markets.
"It was like a three and a half week period,” Peggy said. "I had a lot of friends and family who were getting little zip lock bags with version a, b, c, d and tasting."
Within a few months, the business had spread to 12 states and she began her competition run. She started with a Manitowoc County pitch-off win organized by Progress Lakeshore, an economic development agency in Manitowoc.
Now with the regional win in hand, Peggy says she was nervous, but glad she took on the challenge.
"You have to be willing to fail,” she said. “Failure is a success, it's a learning."
As a part of her win, next June, Peggy has an even bigger opportunity. She'll present a business update to an audience at Lambeau Field, to a wider investor audience.
