According to the American College of Gastroenterology, approximately 85% of adult African Americans are lactose intolerant. This statistic, in addition to USD Analytics figures that indicate the vegan dessert industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.5% through 2030, uncovered a niche for indulgent, better-for-you sweet goods that Ms. Fields, founder and CEO of Sweet Fields, intends to fill.

“We are creating vegan treats that don’t sacrifice taste and answering the evergreen question, ‘What’s for breakfast or dessert?’” Fields said.

The origin of Sweet Fields’ cinnamon roll recipe can be traced back a few generations to Fields’ grandmother’s dinner roll recipe, which was created in the 1930s. Fields’ grandmother, whom she affectionately called Nanny, and great aunt formulated the roll recipe in their early teens while working as a cook and nanny, respectively, in Ottawa, OH.

“This recipe comes from a not beautiful place, but it became something beautiful later,” Fields said. “I’m sure that when my grandmother and her sister were trekking through the cold of Ohio with inadequate winter wear, they had no idea that working for pennies would turn into a product her granddaughter would one day turn into something that creates wealth.”

Over the years, Fields became one of three people to learn the family dinner roll recipe. With a couple of adjustments, she made a vegan version to accommodate her lifestyle. After she used the adjusted recipe to create cinnamon rolls for her family, the seeds were planted to grow a national bakery brand.