Decatur, GA

It’s been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And you’ll get no argument from Tiffani Neal, founder of Barlow Foods and the 2023 Flavor of Georgia grand prize winner. It’s an honor that provides affirmation to all of her hard work.

“I’m still surprised. I can’t believe that we won,” says Tiffani Neal, Barlow Food’s Founder. “It’s just a great reminder that we are headed in the right direction. It’s just great to see that your products are enjoyed and appreciated, especially on that level. So, we love our customers, we love their feedback, but to get it from UGA and to be recognized in the state is just totally amazing.”

While starting a business had been the plan for quite some time, deciding on what type came about organically three years ago.

“I love mixing and matching ingredients and putting things together. So, I’d always done that, had a wild idea to get into the food industry. I wanted to create a product, but I didn’t know what that was going to be. So, I made breakfast one day and a friend of mine loved the pancakes and for some reason it just clicked. I got obsessed with the idea,” says Neal.

That was the case for deciding on the name of the company as well, which is an ode to someone that had a big impact on her life.

“I was at my desk working late night and literally a picture of my grandfather was on my desk, but it just kind of spoke to me for whatever reason, and that’s the photo that we have on the back of our packaging, on the back of our cards. It’s just him on a tractor, on a farm. That’s what he did,” says Neal.

While they might be best known for their pancake mix, it was actually a product that was an afterthought that brought home the grand prize; peach cobbler syrup.

“I was sampling the pancake mix. Often, when we were just starting out, I was like, ‘what are people going to eat the pancakes with,’ so, I had some peaches, looked to the side, and decided to just whip up some syrup with this. I did that with the peaches and sweet potatoes initially, and then people would ask more about the syrup, says Neal.”

In order to highlight all the fresh, locally grown fruit within the state, products constantly change with the season.

“Now, we’re looking forward to spring and summer where we’ll get to put out our berry syrup, which are super fun, flavorful. You can do so many different things with them,” says Neal. “It’s strawberry and blueberry season, so, those get to come out. We are always looking at different things like what things are like, what say Georgia, what say the South, what say the southeast region? How can we incorporate that into what we do on a seasonal basis? Just to be in Georgia where we have locally grown peaches, where there is such a huge, strong agriculture community. It’s just so great right? When we win, it’s like the people that we source our peaches from right, the other producers we use locally, it’s like a win for everyone.”

By: Damon Jones