How keeping a growth mindset energizes Ethel’s Baking CEO Jill Bommarito

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How keeping a growth mindset energizes Ethel’s Baking CEO Jill Bommarito

24 Mar 2025

Maggie Glisan

Maggie Glisan covers consumer trends and emerging markets for the Commercial Baking media group. She spent the bulk of her 15-year career as the senior food editor at Better Homes and Gardens, where she was responsible for producing, writing and editing stories and developing recipes for the monthly magazine and special interest publications. Prior to that she worked as graphic designer and assistant art director in the Food Group at Better Homes and Gardens, where she took on an increasing role in content creation and editorial development.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP, MI — For Jill Bommarito, founder and president of Shelby Township, MI-based Ethel’s Baking Co., building great relationships with her suppliers and learning to negotiate mutually beneficial terms with her customers was essential to keeping her company going during growth spurts.

Additionally, managing internal relationships and building a positive company culture have also been key ingredients in Bommarito’s recipe for success. She has built a high-energy environment where cowbells are rung for every little win and team members communicate openly. It’s important to Bommarito that her team members feel like they are a part of the bigger picture.

“I tell new team members, ‘You spend more of your waking time with us than you do with your family,’” she said. “They have to feel safe and cared for and enjoy being here.”

Kindness, hustle and laughter are paramount to the positive, joyful culture Bommarito strives to create. Having an open mind and a willingness to learn, grow and change is also imperative.

“If you don’t like change, you will not like working at Ethel’s because growth requires change constantly,” she said. “We love learning from each other, so that’s the environment we have. What it is today, it won’t be tomorrow. We’re going to improve on something every day, and that’s what we work for together.”

Keeping a growth mindset has been a boon to Bommarito in every aspect of her business. Maintaining that mindset means she likes to surround herself with smart people with more experience, whether that’s within Ethel’s or with fellow bakers in the industry.

“I believe there’s enough business for all of us, and that if we help each other, we help each other rise.” — Jill Bommarito | founder and president | Ethel’s Baking Co.

“I believe there’s enough business for all of us, and that if we help each other, we help each other rise,” she said.

Even during COVID-19, inflation and supply chain challenges, Bommarito remained solution-oriented and focused on quality, integrity and partnerships. Those traits were key to fulfilling 100% of orders and delivering products on time during those turbulent years, and she is carrying those values into the future as Ethel’s evolves.

Innovations, such as the launch of seasonal programs and a new cookie line, speak to Ethel’s commitment to moving forward while staying true to its modern nostalgic roots. Sure, Bommarito listens to her retailers and buyers and pays attention to what’s happening in the industry, but when it comes to new product development, she starts with flavor.

More than that, Bommarito is committed to the promise she made to her consumers from the beginning. That includes having a clean label and the mouthfeel expected from any traditional baked good. So, when she receives requests for a dairy-free bar — and she receives a lot of them — she’s cautious not to react too quickly or put a product out that doesn’t hold up to her high-quality standards, even when she feels a personal responsibility to make something else that’s special in the marketplace.

“While it’s easy to try to think of quick ways to expand a line that might create extra revenue, I’m not willing to cut corners,” Bommarito said. “If I’m going to launch cookies, they’re going to be grandma-worthy every bit of the way, and you’ll never know they’re gluten-free.”

Ultimately, Bommarito is here for the long game. And her hope is to build a legacy brand that takes care of people long after she’s gone, the same way her grandmother Ethel cared for her all those years ago.

This story has been adapted from the August | Q3 2024 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.

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