RED OAK, Iowa – Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ranking Member of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced Small Business of the Week: Dutchland Foods of Lyon County. Throughout this Congress, Ranking Member Ernst plans to recognize small businesses in all of his 99 counties in Iowa.
“For more than 32 years and four generations, the Van Wye family has honored our small-town beginnings while providing gourmet baked goods to customers across the country.” said ranking member Ernst. “They have expertly combined the essential ingredients for success in Lyon County: delicious pastries, an experienced production team, and excellent customer service. We can't wait to see where their business goes next. I can’t.”
In 1992, Wayne and Jenny Van Wye founded Dutchland Foods with their son Pete and wife Susan. Dutchland Foods operates in a former bank building on Main Street, making pastries in one room and converting a bank safe into a walk-in cooler. Dutchland Foods has expanded over the years and currently operates from his two locations in Leicester. Although Wayne and Jenny Van Wye have passed away, Dutchland Foods continues to grow as the fourth generation of the Van Wye family enters the family business, with Pete and Susan's sons Mykal, Monty, and Malachi working for the company. , continues to carry on that legacy. Dutchland Foods supplies baked goods in bulk to the coffee shop, hospitality, bakery, catering and restaurant industries nationwide. Dutchland Foods recently announced that it would start selling baked goods in the UK. The Van Wye family is proudly involved in Lyon County's economic development.
Stay tuned as Ranking Member Ernst recognizes more Iowa small businesses across the state with this week's Small Business of the Year Award.
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