Meet Maryann Hein | Nutty Owner of Sugar & Spice LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maryann Hein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maryann, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I knew I would love to own a food business after culinary school, but I didn’t consciously plan on it being a flavored nut business. Sugar & Spice started simply as gifts for friends and my rather large family. When you have a culinary degree there is a small unspoken expectation to provide a food gift especially around the holidays. I developed the cinnamon sugar pecans because I liked the idea that they would be my custom creation, ship well and use a Georgia specialty: pecans- they are the perfect foodie gift. The nuts grew a following pretty quickly with people buying to become part of their own holiday creations! It was at this point I knew I wanted to share them with more people and I went through the process to license and become an official food business. They are still what I gift to my friends and family- though I typically receive a request for specific flavors.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I would simply say the endless nut jokes and wicked sense of humor are what set me apart! But in all seriousness, a flavored nut business in Dallas GA is such a small thing, but it has truly given me my own little place in the world. It’s humbling to look back and see how everything lines up, step by step, to get you where you are today.

In the beginning… I grew up in Powder Springs, GA in a large family with 6 brothers and 2 sisters. I left home at 17 and got my first job at McDonalds where I walked to work daily. Ironically, I was only allowed to take orders and money as I was deemed not quick enough to cook or assemble orders- I hated throwing food together. I was hired out of the drive thru window to work at a pediatric office and met a wonderful group of women who took me under their wing and taught me so much, including how to drive. While working full time I attended school and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu’s culinary program in 2007. Being a woman in a culinary field is always a challenge and many people assumed I was in the pastry program, but I held my own in a few restaurants cooking with the boys. I absolutely loved the sense of family, the controlled chaos, dedication, and the immediate feedback you receive from cooking. I spent the next few years floating between healthcare and cooking- one paid the bills and one made me happy. I lost my home in 2009 and ended up filing bankruptcy. This was a low point in my life and I truly found out who my friends were. It worked out in the end and I was able to purchase the small home I was renting and won two lawsuits against my previous mortgage company. Things were looking up and I continued alternating healthcare and cooking, The nuts were starting to become a thing with my friends and family. I toyed with the idea of making it an official business, but the guy I was dating didn’t support this and so I gave up the idea for the time. I started in optical in 2017 and loved the work and the people involved. I started Sugar and Spice in 2019 and enjoyed attending farmer’s markets and festivals on my days off. It was a bit of a shift to not be nervous when people make a beeline towards your booth- in healthcare that typically means you’re dying or unhappy about your bill. The saying that if you don’t make time for health it will make time for you is absolutely true and in 2019 I was having more bad health days than good. I made the hard decision to take a step back from work and rest. Then 2020 hit and while it was scary, it gave me the time I needed to rest and recover. I continued the nut business as a way to occupy my time and save my sanity- if I ever had any! In 2021, with the support of my now husband, I went 100% into the nut business to see if it was a viable business option and with some minor health setbacks it was a fantastic year. 2022 has started out hopeful that with continued medical tests they will figure out what to do about my health long-term, but also with the added goal of opening a commercial kitchen and taking the nut business to the next level.

I think my large family, healthcare work and culinary background give me a unique perspective on the nut business. I am used to chaos, long hours and hard work in a variety of settings, which makes working for myself all the more rewarding. There have been setbacks, and the buck does indeed stop here. This also means that I am the only limit to what I can accomplish. I try not to take my business too seriously and always have a nut joke handy-they are truly endless and the best part of my business. I always joke that no one is going to die if they don’t get to purchase nuts.

In my business I strive to make the best product possible from local ingredients if possible and to give back to my community. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for countless people along the way who have helped and continue to help. I am passionate that no one should ever be hungry and that majority of food wasted is unnecessary. In my company very little goes to waste- it is donated to the local food bank and when the nuts are beyond eating they are donated to a local farmer who feeds his pigs. With two brothers in the military I am also a firm supporter of our men and women in uniform and enjoy sending nuts overseas to deployed troops.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Being in the food world- we would be eating at any and every place we could. Some of my lifelong favorites are Jerry’s Gourmet Burgers in Villa Rica, Gabe’s in Villa Rica, Bacchanalia in Atlanta, Papi’s in Kennesaw, Piastra in Marietta, Revolving Sushi in Kennesaw, and a trip through the Marietta Square Market. We would of course stop by some local farmers markets, as well as the larger Buford Highway and Dekalb Farmers Markets. Entertainment would have to include a behind the scenes tour of the Fox Theater, my absolute favorite The Shakespeare Tavern, The Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Braves Stadium, Trillium Vineyard in Bremen and the aquarium

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Anna Kovats of Good Measure Bakery is one of the biggest reasons I am in business today. She walked me through the licensing process. She has tirelessly provided feedback on just about everything I do from displays, to packaging and even beta testing new recipes. We hope to branch out into a commercial setting soon! My husband, August Lerch also deserves a huge thank you for helping me with startup money, packaging product at 3am, attending events with and for me, and just overall putting up with all my nutty ideas!
Tina Rhoades-Marlow with Country Rhoades Crafts for being the voice of reason, sharing her years of festival experience and the kick in the pants I need to get things together.

Instagram: sugar_spice_nuts

Facebook: sugarandspicenuts