I spent an hour chatting with Lisa Najarian, the Founder of Loopie Doop's™ Cookies about how she came to create such a strong brand name, quirky image - not to mention her fabulous tasting cookies. And believe me, they do taste fabulous - and that's coming from someone who can eat wheat! To be honest, her story is very inspiring - write a book Lisa! This tiny lady is so full of ideas and energy, she would motivate a sloth to get off the couch and do something. Her philosophy is simple: hard work and determination. The growth she has experienced has been organic, and I have no doubt in my mind that she is going GLOBAL with her Loopie Doop's™ brand.
Lisa was born on the West Coast and spent much of her childhood traveling around with her parents, until her Father sadly passed away when she was only twelve years old, after which she made Sacramento her home. An only child, Lisa had a thirst for knowledge and a strong work ethic, waiting on tables to earn extra cash. She studied at the California State University, Chico and got a degree in Liberal Arts, In-between studies she worked as a substitute teacher.
One evening in 2004, Lisa was watching Saturday Night Live and Gilda Radna appeared as Lisa Loopner on the screen. A family member joked and said it was Lisa but called her "Loopie Doopy" instead. People have affectionately called her "Loopie Doopy" ever since!
Lisa, who has two children, was diagnosed as having Celiac Disease. Celiac disease is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Lisa says there are three types of Gluten Free people: "There are people who choose to cut wheat out of their diet for health and weight purposes, the second type is Gluten Intolerance or sensitivity - where gluten will have an adverse effect on the body. The third type is Celiac like me, which is a disease causing an immune reaction to Gluten. There's no cure for Celiac disease, but following a strict gluten-free diet can help manage symptoms and promote intestinal healing".
When Lisa and her family moved to New Canaan, her daughter joined the volleyball team. The players would get so hungry she would bake 'Triple Treat Cookies' for all the players. These big 7oz delicious treats were so popular, she ended up baking them three times a week for players and the parents! Lisa says: "They contained chocolate chunks, peanut butter and white chocolate. Players and parents couldn't get enough. It wasn't until my daughter started suffering from headaches and stomach cramps that we realized it was related to eating the cookies. She was diagnosed with Celiac so I started to make a gluten free version! At first it was trial and error finding the right combination of flours and binding agents. I wanted to avoid the scratchy texture you can experience with gluten free products. The 'Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie' was born!"
Today Loopie Doop's™ Cookies are sold in thirteen stores, across three different states. Lisa bakes each week out of her commercial kitchen in Stamford, and is working on creating the first kitchen facility which is an entirely gluten free environment. With sound advice from her local mentor - who told her to focus her business 'Narrow and Deep' rather than 'Broad and Shallow' - her staple flavors include: Chocolate Chunk, Oatmeal Raisin, Snickerdoodle and White Chocolate Chip.
Lisa says with a sparkle in her eye: "I'm really looking forward to 2014 and creating a Celiac-friendly kitchen. Locally, my cookies are sold in Walter Stewart's and Sole Restaurant are about to serve them on their menu as a GF Dessert! I am constantly looking for new stockists and have quite a few exciting things in the pipeline."
When someone has worked so long, to perfect a product which tastes so good, I can only wish Lisa the very best with Loopie Doop's™.
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