Earlier this summer, we received a tip that a 2019 alumna had launched a specialty food business with a catchy name and something we were excited to try ourselves. We enthusiastically reached out to Olivia Weale, who had majored in business administration (with a minor in sociology) to learn more. Here's what she shared.

UVMF: Can we start with hearing how Dam Good English Muffins came to be? 

After trying a sourdough English muffin from a friend, we were blown away by how flavorful and unique it was—unlike anything we’d ever tasted from a store. This organically led my professionally trained chef parents (both graduates of Johnson & Wales University) to get in the kitchen and start making them so our family could enjoy that same quality without resorting to the ultra-processed options on supermarket shelves.

That holiday season, we gifted a few batches to friends and family—and the response was overwhelmingly positive. They didn’t just love them—they kept asking for more!

Around the same time, we had a serendipitous encounter with a discarded (mainstream) English muffin container on the side of the road during a walk—it felt like a sign. Holding it in our hands, we realized that English muffins hadn’t evolved with modern food values. And that made us realize that our sourdough English muffins could fill a much larger gap in the market. We certainly weren’t the only ones looking for English muffins made with simple ingredients we could actually recognize and find in our own home kitchen. (We still have that very container hanging in our office today as a reminder of where we started—and as inspiration to keep challenging the status quo.)

We got started by obtaining a New York State Home Processing License and began making them in our house and selling at local farmers markets to further test proof of concept. The response affirmed we were onto something. From there, we received a purchase order from a large account, FreshDirect, and set our sights on a commercial space. We landed here in Peekskill, N.Y., where we built out our production facility and have continued to steadily grow—taking over more space, expanding into more independent retailers and grocery delivery partners We ship nationwide through our online store and are available in the frozen section of all Whole Foods Market locations in NY, CT & NJ as well as in all Wegmans stores, through grocery delivery services like FreshDirect and various independent markets in the Northeast.

What began as a personal mission to create a better version of a nostalgic staple for our own household has grown into a business rooted in transparency, quality, and social impact. Our name, which is purposefully spelled without the "n"—Dam Good English Muffins—is a nod to our roots near the New Croton Dam, to the fact that we make Dam Good English muffins, and to our commitment to doing Dam Good through Second Chance & Open Hiring practices, community engagement, and a belief that food should nourish, not deceive.

How did your time at UVM lead to your becoming an entrepreneur? Any specific learning or experiences that especially come to mind?

While I didn't necessarily have becoming an entrepreneur in mind going into my time at UVM, in retrospect, my experience there played an important role in preparing me for it. The Grossman School of Business gave me a strong base of knowledge in areas like marketing, finance, and operations — all of which I draw on daily as a co-founder managing both the manufacturing side of our business and its continued growth.

Running a company means constantly learning, adapting, problem-solving, and stepping outside of your comfort zone, and the education I received at UVM gave me the structure and perspective to take on those challenges with confidence and curiosity — and to keep building from there. Just as importantly, the values that UVM instills — around community, sustainability, and thinking critically — continue to influence how I lead, make decisions, and approach growth with intention and purpose.

What advice would you offer to current students and alumni considering a path like yours?

1. Stay true to your mission and understand the problem your business is solving. It’s easy to get distracted by the noise — what other businesses are doing, industry trends, or the pressure to grow fast — but the real progress comes when you stay focused on your purpose and goals. Keep your head down, do the work, and let that mission guide every decision.

   
   

2. Be bold enough to differentiate yourself, and persistent enough to keep going when things get hard — because they will. Put yourself out there, even when it’s uncomfortable. That’s where you grow, build confidence, and open doors you didn’t even know existed.

   
   

3. Tactically, talk to your customers, validate your ideas early, understand your target market and never underestimate the value of a strong network. Get feedback often, keep your messaging clear, and don’t wait until things feel “perfect” to start.

   
   

4. And most importantly, enjoy the ride! Entrepreneurship is full of challenges, but it's also full of meaning, creativity, and endless opportunity. Even on the hardest days, remind yourself why you started — and have fun with it.

Read more alumni stories (or share your own!) in Class Notes, and these recent pieces:

• How I Got Here: Matt Buder Shapiro '12

• "It Feels Like Coming Home": Cathy Irish Tremblay ’85 on the Power of Staying Connected to UVM

• Class Notes Expanded: Jules '62 and Effin '64 Older May Be Trying to Save the World through Writing