Meet Monica Poole | Founder/Owner Blue Hummingbird Gluten Free Food/Formerly Deby’s

We had the good fortune of connecting with Monica Poole and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Monica, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have always wanted to have my own business. When my eldest twin was diagnosed with Celiac disease over 20 years ago, I went to shop for food to fit his new diet. I didn’t find much. Experimentation with bread, pastries and other wheat replacements ensued. When the products turned out better than what I could buy (they didn’t at first!) I started giving samples to my friends who also needed gluten free. I had a positive response and thought there was a business opportunity. Fear and excitement combined as I planned what an exclusive gluten free bakery might look like. There wasn’t much to compare to and my husband was hesitant.

We plunged into our lease in November of 2004. Celiac disease was less well recognized and I didn’t know very much about starting a business. Eating gluten free had such a transformative effect on everyone in our house. We all eat gluten free even though only my twin sons, Michael and David and I actually have celiac disease. My husband Doug and Daughter Deby, also benefited from a gluten free diet. I determined that if gluten free tasted as good as gluten, if all the favorite foods could be replaced, then people like my husband and daughter, who didn’t suffer the immediate effects of eating gluten, might be more inclined to stick with eating gluten free.

I feel incredibly blessed to be able to have a business that helps people feel better and provides them with products they enjoy. I’ve always said that if you are in the food business and you don’t like feeding people, then you are in the wrong business! I really love what I do.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Blue Hummingbird Gluten Free started as Deby’s Gluten Free Bakery in November of 2004 with the bakery officially opening to customers in September of 2005. It was easy to start and difficult at the same time. I went in knowing basically nothing about business. I’d run my own daycare and sold art that I had created, but a brick and mortar store with employees, that was entirely new. I made so many mistakes, it is the hand of God that kept the doors open. Twenty years in, I’ve learned more than I could put in this answer. Mostly, I listen to what my customers want and try to provide it. I”m always thinking about how to make a better product.

One of the biggest challenges is economic shifts. The 2008 recession hit us hard. Lately, the covid restrictions and the supply chain shortages then the inflation that followed was also difficult, and still is a struggle. My husband is a great financial manager, taking care of all the office work. We are a good team. I think if a husband and wife run a business, they each have to let the other do what they each do best. I don’t question his financial choices and he doesn’t suggest recipe changes. It works great!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would definitely take a trip to the mountains and also visit some of the museums, the botanical gardens, the zoo, and a day long bike ride along Cherry Creek Trail would be great. The list of great food is endless, a week would not be enough time. Live theater, seeing a game played by any of our local professional teams would be a must. Colorado has so much to offer to the people fortunate enough to live here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Husband Doug and my children, Deby, Michael, and David. I had the creative drive to figure out the gluten free recipes, but without the financial acumen of my husband, the financial aspect of starting a business would have never been realized. My three children also deserve credit. I was a stay at home mom. Starting a business took up most of my time. My children were with me at the bakery every day after school. That was difficult for them. All three are successful adults who say the experience of growing inside the influence of a family owned business taught them life lessons they use every day. And I can’t deny the most important recognition, God, who has held and helped me and my family every step of the way.

Website: https://www.bluehummingbirdfoods.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluehummingbirdfoods/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bluehummingbirdfoods

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-hummingbird-gf-foods-denver?osq=Gluten+Free+Bakery