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Chicago woman turns secret family syrup recipe into a thriving business

Michele Foods
Michele Hoskins founded Michele Foods, which features an old family recipe for syrup.
Michele Foods

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The holidays are a busy time for a south suburban entrepreneur who built a food business out of an old family recipe.

Forty years ago, Michele Hoskins turned a family syrup recipe into a thriving condiments business. The centerpiece of the Michele Foods line is a syrup that was originally concocted by her great-great-grandmother as a freed slave in the late 1800s.


Hoskins told the Noon Business Hour her ancestors would be proud of the business that was built around that secret recipe.

"So, you know, the recipe is for family around family gatherings. But what about if you could share your family recipe with someone else? And that's what I learned to do. And that is what I think she would be more proud of me doing that and maintaining that for over a decade."

Michele Foods syrups are now available in 7,000 stores across the country. Her company also offers holiday gift boxes as well.

Hoskins was featured on the WBBM Noon Business Hour's Entrepreneur Friday. Listen to her full conversation with Rob Hart above.

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