Some brands feel like they were always meant to be national. Killer Brownie is one of them. But it took a 40-year journey, a nurse-turned-founder, and a tagline born from a dad sneaking Oreos to his kids to finally make it happen.

Chimene Mayne-Ross is the CEO of Killer Brownie, a gourmet brownie brand born out of Dorothy Lane Market, the legendary Dayton, Ohio specialty grocer her father built, that has grown over 500% since 2019 and is now coast to coast in Target, Kroger, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, and more. But Chimene didn't come into the business straight from the family table. She spent 25 years as a nurse first, building the people skills, the regulatory knowledge, and the leadership foundation that would make her the right person to take Killer Brownie national.

In this episode, host Sarah Perkins sits down with Chimene for a conversation that is warm, wise, and full of the kind of generational founder insights you rarely hear in one place. From a childhood of carob instead of chocolate (her mom was a health nut ahead of her time) and Oreos snuck by her dad (who always said "sometimes you gotta live a little"), to writing a proposal for her dad at 45 years old, hiring her husband as COO, growing from 300 Instagram followers to 135,000, going through two rebrands, and landing a partnership with Irresistible Foods Group, the family behind Kings Hawaiian, that has accelerated growth without ever touching the product.

This is a story about slow, steady, intentional growth. About knowing who you are and refusing to be diluted by trends. About the tagline that made Chimene cry because it was her dad's phrase all along. And about what it really means to be a third generation founder who takes something beloved and makes it her own.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up with a health nut mom who served liver and onions as an afterschool snack and a dad who snuck them Oreos
• The family legacy: Dorothy Lane Market, Dayton's beloved specialty grocer since the 1940s
• Why she chose nursing over the family business at 22 and what 25 years taught her
• Joining Killer Brownie in 2013 and writing a proposal to her dad for the chance to grow it
• What makes the original Killer Brownie so special: caramel, layers, and a gooey texture unlike anything else
• Current flavors: cookie dough, caramel macchiato, Mexican hot chocolate, the Brookie, the Kitchen Sink
• Growing 500%+ since 2019 and the three hires that made it possible
• The rebrand journey: two rebrands, and how the latest finally felt like coming home
• The "Live a Little" tagline that made Chimene cry because it was her dad's phrase all along
• Why she's unapologetically a dessert brand in a world of protein bars and fiber snacks
• Quietly cleaning up the ingredient list since 2013 without ever making it the brand message
• The Irresistible Foods Group acquisition and why the Kings Hawaiian family was the right partner
• Why "distraction leads to dilution" is her north star
• Taking Killer Brownie to Antarctica and feeding the expedition team
• Reading 20 books a year and why lifelong learning is her most important leadership tool
• Her goal: advising female founders and third generation family business owners
• Advice for founders: start with your purpose, know your why, and be prepared to work



Find Killer Brownie:

• Website: www.killerbrownie.com (with store locator and direct to consumer ordering)
• Instagram/TikTok/Facebook: @killerbrownie
• Available at Target, Kroger, Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Mariano's, and select retailers coast to coast

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