Today we’d like to introduce you to Preya Shivdat.
Hi Preya, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was a franchise owner of a mobile business here in Central Florida. After nearly 10 years in the business and after COVID, I decided that I wanted a change. I wasn’t sure what that change was, but I knew that I wanted to do something different. I started a full-time job in a marketing role and found myself unsatisfied. I came across Ms. Bee’s Popcorn & Candy Shoppe and was excited since I remembered the store in Winter Garden as a staple. It’s where my kids wanted to go every time we were downtown. The shop held special memories for our family, it was one of a kind. I had a friendship over the years with the previous owner, Belinda Wilson and it was great to see her again. She had built an amazing brand in Winter Garden for 9 years and after the building was destroyed by a leak in the roof, they had to close their doors. Well, we all know what happened in 2020 but that didn’t keep Belinda down. She relocated the business to Clermont and reopened the doors in 2021. I was half joking with Belinda when I told her, “If you ever decide to sell, let me know.” Little did I know that a few weeks later, she would have to make the difficult decision to sell for health reasons. We spoke at length about who she wanted to take over the business, and she knew that I valued and respected the brand that she built. She knew that I knew how hard she had worked and I was going to continue the legacy. When I took over in 2024, I had no idea what it took to run a popcorn business, but I knew that I had a great foundation to start with and I was going to continue to build on it. Here I am a year later and I’m loving every minute.
We still have the retail location, but we have expanded the wholesale business to include a number of hotels including Hilton, Evermore and Four Seasons. Our corporate business continues to grow as we build valuable community partnerships. We recently launched our fundraising site and revamped our entire website, allowing us to ship nationwide and getting our product in the hands of customers as far as Washington State! We are working with the local school districts by encouraging kids to show acts of kindness and receive certificates to use in-store with our Bee Kind Rewards. We’ve come a far way but we have plans to continue the growth at a comfortable pace while maintaining the quality of the brand and product.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Whenever you start something new, there are challenges. However, I was very fortunate that I took over a business with local brand recognition. This enabled me to build on that by marketing the brand to those who were already familiar. We utilized social media to let old fans that we were still in business and they could still come in and get their favorite treats. The most difficult part has been just understanding the processes and logistics of producing a quality product. The challenges of maintaining the quality and the retail costs while cost of goods continues to rise.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Ms. Bee’s Gourmet Popcorn?
As a family-run business we specialize in providing high quality gourmet popcorn made in small batches. We create unique flavors, such as Stuffing, Crab Boil, Montreal Steak, Mexican Street Corn, Sea Salt Caramel and so much more. We pride ourself on being imaginative, creative and keeping up with new flavor trends. We value the feedback from our returning customers and we love when we meet new ones.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Without a doubt, perseverance has been the most crucial quality for my success. Navigating through challenges, from learning new processes to adapting to unexpected changes and rising costs, required determination and an unwavering commitment to the brand’s legacy. Staying resilient and maintaining a positive outlook allowed me to push forward, even when things got tough, ensuring that the business continued to thrive and grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.msbeespopcorn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msbeespopcorn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/msbeespopcorn/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/Ag41gTlXeh8
Image Credits
SMD Photography
