Welcome to Season 14 of the Troubleshooting Innovation podcast. Trina Bediako, CEO of New Horizons Baking Co., shares how she balances generational wisdom and youthful disruption to expand a family bakery business in unconventional ways. Sponsored by Coperion.
In Episode 1, get to know Trina, hear what it was like for her to grow up in the industry, and learn how that experience defined her path.
Learn more about this season here, and tune into Troubleshooting Innovation on Apple or Spotify.
Joanie Spencer: Hi, Trina. Thank you so much for joining me for this season of our podcast.
Trina Bediako: Good afternoon, Joanie, I’m so glad to have some time to talk with you.
Spencer: I’m just thrilled that you agreed to do this, not only because I enjoy spending time with you and do consider you a friend, but also, and maybe more importantly, you’re someone that I truly look up to and admire in this industry. And after getting to know your dad a little bit when he was in the industry, and hearing kind of his side of the story with you, I am just thrilled to get some wisdom from you and and just hear about your journey in the industry as sort of a ‘bakery kid’ and a leader in bakery. So thanks so much for spending this time with me. I’m super excited!
Bediako:Thank you, dear. It’s all my pleasure, believe that.
Spencer: Okay, so like I said, I’m going to talk about sort of your background and your childhood in the industry, what it’s like growing up in a family-owned bakery. But New Horizons is not really your traditional family-owned bakery. If I have my story straight here, your dad, he helped start New Horizons when he was actually close to retiring, right?
Bediako: Yes, my father’s story is pretty amazing. He has over 60 years in the industry, and he started out in the early 60s as a route salesman for Wonder Bread — Continental Baking. He was in school to be a pharmacist, but he fell in love, he got married, had three children — I was the first of the three — and he had to get a ‘real job.’ So, he stopped going to school, although he promised his mother he’d get his degree one day. And he did that many, many years later, after he had started his career. But he had a job with Wonder Bread delivering to mom-and-pop stores in little old Buffalo, New York.
He’s a hard-working man, a God-fearing man, and had an amazing work ethic. And a particular manager, a man by the name of Joe Signor, just promoted him as my dad advanced. Joe promoted him through the ranks, and he was promoted often. So often that I lived in a different state, every major grade, because my father never denied an opportunity for advancement.
So that was the example that I had. He and my mom worked together as a team. She since passed away in 2014, but they were married for 50 years. And when he had an opportunity, he called her up and said, Johnnie, pack them up. We gotta go. And she did that. His success, to a great extent, is based on her support. She took care of the home in a way that he didn’t have to worry about that, and his career could advance. So that has always been my example to be a person of integrity, honesty and sincerity, to have relationships that are beneficial. And I watched that I always admired my father so much that in a in an interview for a scholarship in college, I talked about him so much, I think I didn’t get the scholarship. I guess they said, ‘Look Kid, you better, you know, talk about yourself.’ I really felt like that killed it! But I have a great example in both my parents, and from the career perspective, definitely from my father. And I don’t apologize for that.
Spencer: That is amazing. And I am so sorry that you lost your mom in 2014, but I’m also very happy for your family that they got to celebrate 50 years. That’s such an incredible milestone. So I’m happy that you got to at least have that. That’s great.
Bediako: Thank you.
Spencer: So I’m wondering when I think about family dynamics, especially when they’re big things like never saying no to an opportunity and moving so often. Sometimes, when kids are raised in that, they are going to go, like to one extreme or the other. They’re going to say, ‘That’s normal, and I love it and I’m going that way,’ or they say, ‘That sucked, and I didn’t like it, and I’m not going to do that.’ So when I think about — especially a 13-, 14-, 15-year-old girl who is moving very often and it’s sort of hard to acclimate into friend groups and social groups or get used to different academic environments — was that a challenge for you? Or was that something that taught you kind of wanderlust and excitement for saying yes to opportunities? How did that impact you?
Bediako: You know, when I talk about the having to move so much, my response is, ‘I’m flexible. I’m agile. Bring it on because I know how to deal with change.’ So yes, I did move often. The family moved often. There was a lot of change, but it never happened to me at a time that was maybe super critical. And I say that carefully because my brother Aaron had to move in his senior year of high school. So I never had that kind of trigger. I just took it as another opportunity.
I was an A student, so I got involved wherever we went. I had confidence because that’s how my parents raised me, and I took on each adventure. You know, my father again, 60 years in the industry, 30 years with Wonder Bread, took an early retirement in ’96 and asked me if I want to join the family business. ‘Oh, sure. I don’t know anything about baking, Dad, but I’m the oldest. I’m hard working. It’s an opportunity. I can do this. I’m going to give it a try.’ I’d been married for about 12 years. I packed up my three children. My youngest was three years old. My husband’s from Brooklyn, New York. I moved him to Milan, Ohio. He almost knocked me on the head when I took him in that little country town. You know, it was six miles from work. It made sense to live there, but, gosh darn it, it wasn’t Brooklyn. It wasn’t even Connecticut. So, we built a life, and it’s been good. I wouldn’t, change anything.
Spencer: Okay, so was going to ask you, that sort of question of, ‘Where were you when X happened?’ Where were you, sort of, on your life’s timeline, when the New Horizons deal happened, and how did it impact what you were envisioning for your future?
Bediako: Sure, if I can take you back just a little bit about my father. He did 30 years with Wonder Bread, and then had an opportunity to purchase a couple of McDonald’s bakeries with two other partners. One of them was Mr. John Paterakis from H&S Bakeries. And another gentleman was named Peter Grimm. He was in logistics, and I believe also McDonald’s supplier in some regard of services.
When my father was at Wonder Bread, Mr. Paterakis was his customer. My father delivered bread, or had bread delivered from Wonder Bread to H&S, which is owned by the Paterakis family. And so they established a relationship, a friendship, a mutual business respect.
At some point, McDonald’s approached mister Paterakis and said, ‘We’re looking for minority suppliers, and do you know anybody?’ And he reached out to my father. So my father came on as a minority equity supplier. He had the least amount of equity, but all along, the intent was for him to eventually buy out the partners, which he did in 2014, several years later. So Dad started in ’96 as president of New Horizons, then reached out to me in 2002 although he reached out to my brother first. And that’s okay, ’cause we’re a family — it’s all good!
He called me in a couple years later, my husband and I, and I had a job with with southern New England Telephone. I was in sales and programming. We lived in Connecticut. I’ve been married 10 years or so, and had three little kids, but it was an opportunity I just could not deny. Again, I didn’t know anything about baking, but I believe I can do almost anything. So I had to give it a try.
So, we came on board. I started out in human resources. My husband started out in operations, and my husband had experience in operations with Continental Baking as well. So he wasn’t, you know, coming in 100% green. But you know, you come into the family business with assumptions about what it’s going to be like, and it really wasn’t that, you know. If I’ve learned anything, your name and your bloodline are worth about two cents. You better prove who you are, and the only way to do that is through the work that you do. And I learned that early. It’s a lesson well kept. I share it with almost anybody I meet in the family, when they say they want to be a part of the business: ‘You may think that your name means something. Show them who you are through the work that you do.’
Spencer: I love that. And I think — next week we’re going to dive into that a little bit deeper — because I do think your family company exemplifies that a lot. And by that, I mean you show the success that comes from putting your contributions before your name. So I’m excited to talk about that next week. But I do want to talk about the way you’re describing it. I love that your dad offered you this, and you were like, ‘I don’t have experience with this, but sure, I’ll give it a try.’ That’s your DNA.
Bediako: Yeah. Yes, it is.
Spencer: I think it’s part genetics and part just learning that from him and watching him always say, ‘Oh, I’ve never done that, but Okay, I’ll do it.’
Bediako: Yes, yes.
Spencer: I do want to ask you, though, before that opportunity came, like, what were your dreams and aspirations? And it’s just that classic question of, ‘What did you want to be when you grow up?’ And the reason I ask is because people don’t always grow up to be what they dreamed of being when they were little, but the interests and the passions, they kind of shape who they become. So when you were growing up, what were the things that you were most passionate about as a kid, and how did they drive your ambition in the baking industry and with New Horizons and form the leader you are now?
Bediako: So, when I graduated from high school, I wanted to go to college and be a teacher. I wanted to be a Spanish teacher. I had studied Spanish. I ended up minoring in Spanish in college, and I just admired my Spanish instructors. I wanted to do that.
And my father said, ‘Trina, you can do that, but I don’t think that’s going to be enough for you.’ So that was my redirection into business. I start where it’s important to start, but I always had the desire to do more, to be bigger, and to be whatever the best was. And I mean, I saw that through my father. He was a humble man. Again, he and my mom worked together as a team, and they together, they achieved and built an amazing life together. So I always wanted just a little bit more. I never questioned whether or not I could learn the industry and all — not that it’s so simple that anyone can figure it out — but I’m committed. I’m committed to what I do and what I believe in, and a bit of a pleaser. I am 60 years old, but I still want my dad to say, ‘You did a good job, Trina.’ And every now and then I hear that, and I’m grateful for that.
Spencer: Oh, I want to hear your dad tell me I did a good job, too! So, okay, I gotta ask, you minored in Spanish, and you once dreamed of being a Spanish teacher. That just makes me, I have this vision. You’re on the IBIE planning committee where Jorge Zarate of Grupo Bimbo is the committee planning chair?
Bediako: Yes.
Spencer: Do you ever have side conversations with him in Spanish?
Bediako: We do. And they’re not real deep conversations, but, I’ll say a phrase or two, and he responds back to me in Spanish. Yes, absolutely.
And I’m so grateful that comes back. I went to the McDonald’s worldwide convention in Barcelona. Must have been in ’24. I was the orderer as far as meals, talking to the cab drivers, all those things. It comes back. I practice it whenever I can, and I’m always grateful when I really need it. I ordered at my Columbus office from Uber Eats yesterday. The driver couldn’t find the building. He only spoke Spanish. I talked to him in Spanish. We found each other, and I got my food.
Spencer: College tuition ROI, right there.
Bediako: Yes, paid off.
Spencer: Okay, so I’m jumping ahead on the timeline back to today. I mean, it’s been an interesting journey. And thank you so much for sharing sort of how you got to where you are and how you saw yourself and the qualities that led you to where you are today. So I’m just curious now, what are some of the monikers that you would say best define you right here in this moment today? Do you call yourself a baker? Do you call yourself a businesswoman? Do you call yourself an entrepreneur? How do you define yourself today?
Bediako: Today, I will say that I’m a businesswoman with a strong operational background and understanding of the food industry.
When I came on board, I wanted to say I was a baker, but I I wasn’t a baker. I understand the process, I understand the challenges. I can be a part of the solutions. But I’m not a scientist like some of those that do it so well.
But I believe — and I’ve said this even to my dad recently — it’s not your father’s bakery anymore. It’s different. You know, yes, there’s formulas, and yes, you have a product that you’ve got to give. But the world has changed, so leadership has had to make some changes. Say what you will. I’m the right kind of leader at the right time, and I’m glad to be a part of this and have people that have that science background, that understand the industry differently than I understand it, but we can come together and have success together.
And I’m still learning from my dad. My father — we don’t say the word retired; he’s not retired — we’ve minimized his duties to some extent, but he has a wealth of knowledge and history in his brain, and I am more than grateful to reach out to him at any time, for him to share and help me and my team when we need it. He is always available. I worked for the company for 16 years, always thinking I could be the president. I could be in charge, you know, wanting this. And my dad knew that I wasn’t quite ready, you know, in year one, two, three five, you know, trying to be there immediately. But when the opportunity presented itself 16 years in, I was ready, and all he did for me was open the door and say, ‘Okay, I’m going to give you a chance.’ I mean, he even had someone else in the business as president before me, which was a hard pill for me to swallow, but I learned even from that individual and from that experience.
So, all I asked for my dad in December of 2017 was, you know, ‘Give me a chance. You’re going to have to let me lead.’ I said this, ‘I’m not going to be a figurehead.’
‘Okay, Trina, you go right ahead.’ And he did. And I still think every now and then, we surprise him a bit. He’s said things like, ‘Trina, I wouldn’t have done it the way you did it. But you know what? That’s a good thing, okay?’ And I’m glad for that.
Spencer: I just love everything you just said. You’re just giving me the biggest smile.
You know, I will agree 1,000% that you are the kind of leader that this industry needs today. I have so much respect for your confidence and your courage to disrupt. I see you saying things and doing things differently, and we’re going to get into some of those as we go through this this month together. But it is disruption done in really creative ways, and it is one of my favorite things about you.
You said you don’t want to be a figurehead, and there is nothing token about you, Trina. You are in the roles that you’re in — and I say roles, plural — because you bring something to the table, and you make change. And I just love that about you.
And so I wanted to kind of ask you about some of these leadership roles that you’re taking on. I mentioned that you’re on the IBIE planning committee. You’re also a board member for the American Bakers Association. These are really big roles. I joke sometimes — half joking, it’s really true — but the IBIE planning committee, I see those individuals as the titans of the industry. I mean, there’s not a whole lot higher than that when you are on the committee that plans the Western Hemisphere’s biggest baking industry show.
And so for the people coming in to look up and see you and see your leadership and know that you’re not there just to fill a seat. That you are participating and you are making suggestions, and you’re actively trying to make the industry better, and IBIE better, and I know that you’re doing the same for ABA and making change. How are those things changing you?
Bediako: Yes, and I’m grateful to be a part of the ABA. I’ve learned over time that in this industry, we have an obligation to manage how the industry is perceived and how products are protected, and how we care for a pivotal part of our economy.
The phrase ‘People gotta eat,’ yes, they do. But they’ve gotta eat well, and they’ve gotta eat healthy, and they’ve got to have good options, and certain things need to be protected.
You know, there’s a scripture in the Bible that says, ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ I’m reminded of that in this industry. It’s a big thing. It’s a big deal. And how ABA supports all the bakers of the of the world, globally, and tries to give them information and support so that they can thrive and provide the right products to the world? It’s a big undertaking. So, the the small part I have and all that, it’s very important to me. There’s great responsibility to do it right.
Spencer: Do you see the industry changing?
Bediako: Yes, absolutely. The industry is changing, carefully, right? You know, safely.
We recognize that there’s challenges with the workforce. We recognize that people need to understand. We need to, you know, tell our story more more fluid, and let people know. You know, being a baker doesn’t mean you’re just on the production line. You know, moving products. There’s hundreds of jobs that you could do, you know, R&D, quality — I need a CFO — accounting, you know, a chef, HR. All the opportunities in the industry, and we’ve got to put it in a place so that people know that, so that the kids in school can see it, so that the universities are talking about it and the trade organizations are having fairs and different things.
Our websites have to talk about the broadness of it all. The broadness of it all. And there’s no shame if you just work in a factory and move product down a production line. It’s got to happen! You don’t get eat a hamburger if you don’t do that. You don’t get shoes or a shirt or a car if you don’t do that. Somebody’s gotta do it, and it’s all critical.
Spencer: Exactly. I think that that’s one thing that I’ve kind of learned since I’ve been in the industry, gosh, I think it’s been 16 years now. I’ve learned that it’s prestigious to work in food manufacturing, and I think sort of just the general public learned that in COVID, how important the people who are working on the line, how important they truly are. Just that prestige that no one really realized was there, and just seeing it firsthand. I think that is one of the biggest eye opening things for me from being in the industry.
I want to have a little bit of just a little bit of kind of girl talk right now, because I’m so lucky to be able to, as a woman in the industry, talk to a very successful and powerful woman in the industry and just get a little advice and pick your brain a little bit, because it’s really hard for us. I mean, I’m a little bit of a bull in a china shop sometimes, and I’m one who is going to say, ‘Why do we have to do it that way? Why are we doing this?’ And I struggle sometimes, playing the game, if you will. How do women coming up in the industry get their voices heard in ways that don’t backfire on them? And there’s a reason why I’m asking, and it’s not just because of of your gender. But what’s the key?
Bediako: That you speak loud so they hear you. You make them hear you. You don’t step back. You don’t give up. Now, you better come correct. You have your facts in order. You need to know what you’re talking about. You be prepared because they will chew you up and spit you out if your facts aren’t any good.
But you speak so you can be heard. My husband — I’ve been married 36 years — and my husband tells me, ‘Trina, you’re talking too loud.’ Well, I want to be sure you hear me.
I’ve been in those meetings where the the predominant gender have out-talked me or talked louder. You know, I’m not in meetings fighting, but if I have a point to make, I’m going to keep talking till I make it. And if I don’t have a point to make, then I won’t say anything.
I don’t want to be embarrassed like the next guy, but you must speak up. You’ve got to say what’s on your mind, especially if you have a firm belief in it. And you also need people to talk to, and you can’t talk to everybody. Being a leader, being a female leader in a male-dominant industry, being a black female leader in a white predominant industry, it’s bit lonely. It’s a bit lonely. It can be. It can be.
Now I don’t have to walk around with my head down. It is what it is, and I’m going to be who I’m going to be, okay, and I have a team to lead, so I can’t be a mush. You know, I can’t be afraid to talk, and sometimes I need to talk to another woman who’s going through the same thing so that we can lift each other up.
Mentorship, being parts of organizations that are female-led and female-focused, that’s a good thing. but I tell you what else, you gotta have some male friends too. Because they know what they’re doing. And it’s okay to have male mentors, you know. But you’ve gotta speak your peace, speak your truth. Come prepared. Speak your truth. And pull somebody up along the way so that they can be in a place to help the next young woman trying to find her place.
Spencer: That is such good advice. And you hinted, I think, at the reason why I was asking you, and it’s not again, not just because you’re a woman, but you recently were recognized as one of the YWCA Women of Achievement, and we covered that in Commercial Baking. And I’m leading an organization that we are predominantly female. The only men in my company are the two men who founded it, so that’s kind of cool, but I’m leading young women. Most of the women in our organization are Gen Z, and they found your announcement, and they were like, ‘We’re putting this out to the industry. This is so cool.’ They were just really enamored by that. And it was just this opportunity where they looked up and saw you and wanted to celebrate that for you.
Can you tell me just a little bit about the award? I think our audience would love to hear about it.
Bediako: Thank you, Joanie. That was a pleasant surprise to be acknowledged. The YWCA of Cleveland has been in existence since 1868; it’s the oldest nonprofit in the city of Cleveland. 2025 is the 48th year of the YWCA Women of Achievement Awards. The organization awards and recognizes women based on career success, leadership, community service, mentoring, and dedication to eliminating racism and empowering women. This year, nine women received the award, including myself. I was nominated by my daughter — which I heard was the first — my youngest daughter, Rachel. It’s all about celebrating women.
So far, I’ve participated in a welcome reception and professional photo shoot, which is fun. More headshots, right? Never too many. I’m scheduled for a video interview next month and and it all culminates in their largest fundraising event on June 4, so I’ll be a part of that as well. It’s an honor and it’s a lot of fun. So I’m grateful, just grateful.
Spencer: When I look at those criteria, you absolutely check every box. Okay, I’m going to ask one last question for today, and to sort of sum it up, and maybe, like, tease what we’re going to get into next week. When we take everything that we’ve talked about and you look at the leader that you are today and how the company has grown, which we’re going to get into in a couple of weeks. What are some of those early lessons that you learned growing up as Tim Brown’s daughter, and also your early days in the industry in earning your spot, what are the lessons that you learned that still ring true today?
Bediako: Sure. The industry itself, I think, is small, but very close. So when I first started, I spent a couple of months at H&S bakery or Northeast Foods with some of the employees there to learn about the business, and I came across some of the same people that I used to see at conventions and conferences when I was a little girl. So, people that worked with my dad, and now here I am, working with some of them. So burning bridges is not a good thing because you don’t know who you’re going to see when you’re coming and you’re going. It’s a very close-knit industry and group of people, and it’s important to listen to the people that work for you. It’s important to treat your employees well because I’m not making buns and muffins every day, but I’ve gotta lead a business in a way that people want to do that under my leadership, so that, that’s critical.
And I’ve learned that there’s an amazing value in collaborative effort and inclusion. I have a very diverse executive team — in gender, in race, and in skillset and backgrounds. Some are bakers, but some are just professionals, and we have to come together to the table to make some major decisions, and the the variance in experience help us make the best decisions. There’s no one person doing it all, and I can have a vision, and my president and I can work together and present it, but if the people aren’t prepared for it, if they’re frightened by the speed of the change, it goes nowhere.
So, my success has a lot to do with the folks around me and what they bring to the table. And I believe I’m wise enough to know I need them. I need all of them.
Spencer: Now, I remember you wrote a column for our magazine in what we call ‘The Last Word,’ so you got the last word in one of our issues. I love that. You really talked about that. Just diversity, not in the way that people typically default to, but more than anything, diversity of thought, which can only come from having different backgrounds and perspectives and what have you in the room. But you’re absolutely right, like it is the key, I think, to innovation and growth. when I think you have really executed that in your career and in this company. And, so, we’re gonna sort of explore that over the next few weeks. We’re gonna talk about, like generational succession, what you received and what you have to offer. We’re gonna talk about the evolution of New Horizons, which is so cool, unlike anything I’ve ever experienced or heard of, and then really talk about what your plans for the future are. So I’m so excited for the next few weeks, Trina. But for now, thank you so much for talking to me, and next week we’re gonna talk about that knowledge transfer.
Bediako: I’m looking forward to it. Joanie, thank you so much.
