Heidi Nel

Founder and President, Heidi's Heavenly Cookies

It has been said that out of desperation comes inspiration. This is a phenomenon, which has become evident in my life. The "desperation" resulted from a loss of family employment during the economic downturn in 2001. The "inspiration" took the form of an idea for me to make the homemade cookies and candy that I had been baking for years. Friends were insistent that I market my edible gift baskets, but there was never the motivation or urgency to do so. With the help of my husband and good friends, my life-long dream came true when we launched Heidi's Heavenly Cookies in October of 2002.