The brains and beauty behind a brilliant business model are Main Line moms and Tymel co-principals Melissa Parker (left) and Tyra Hodges (right).

If there are two idioms that ring true when describing a successful entrepreneurial business model in 2009 it is the following: 1) Necessity is the mother of invention. 2) Timing is everything. With so many Americans astutely aware of reducing their carbon footprint, the green industry is thriving with creative concepts that speak to the nation’s environmentally-cautious consumer. Despite a down economy, all signs point positively towards a growing demand for socially responsible business models.

In the case of Main Line entrepreneurs Tyra Hodges, 45, and Melissa Parker, 40, their invention-fashion forward reusable bags made from recycled materials-was inspired by some timely conversations they had with their children. Hodges was unpacking her groceries one evening in her kitchen last spring when her (then 11-year-old) daughter, Natalie, commented on the amount of plastic and paper she was wasting. Parker had received similar feedback from one of her daughters a few weeks earlier after she completed a school project on the importance of recycling.

Eco-friendly, chic and functional, Tymel’s designs are destined to become the ‘Vera Bradley’ of high-style, reusable bags.

Fast forward a month later when the pair (best friends since 2000 when they met through a social organization) met up for lunch and, in a matter of minutes, a business was born. “There was this very palpable ‘aha’ moment for us for sure that afternoon. We have creative backgrounds and there was this synergy that happened in our conversation. It was almost as if our children had been giving us this innovative idea and it took a lunch date to talk it through. We are both very driven and after that, we were off and running,” explained Hodges.

So Hodges and Parker started ironing out the details of their business model-searching for eco-friendly, fashionable fabrics to use to design a line of hip, preppy reusable bags. And, thus, Tymel Style (a kitschy take on their first names) came to life in August of 2008. “Since ‘green’ does not always mean fashion forward, there were not a lot of attractive fabrics constructed from recycled materials available to make our handbags. It took us quite some time to find a fabric we could work with. But, it was important for us to start there before we ventured into making Tymel bags chic,” said Parker.

Before their roles as co-principals with Tymel Style, LLC, the duo boasted strong corporate backgrounds. Parker, a Duke grad, Manhattan native and mother of three to John William Parker II, 12, nine-year-old Avery and six-year-old Peyton, spearheaded a successful interior design business. While Hodges, originally from St. Louis, holds an accounting degree and an interior design certificate from Temple. The mother of three to 14-year old Danielle and twelve-year-old twins Natalie and Grant, Hodges previously worked as a top pharmaceutical sales rep and ran a prosperous custom invitation company out her home.

According to the EPA, 3.8 million tons of plastic bags and wrap and 720,000 tons of paper bags ended up as waste in 2007.

Tymel’s stylish reusable bags are environmentally friendly, durable, water-resistant and machine washable. “With our design experience, we appreciate texture, color and fabric. These bags offer Main Liners a way to ‘go green’ without sacrificing taste and budget which we carefully constructed based on our research,” explained Parker.

Part of that research included a number of female focus groups invited to their respective homes for an introduction to the line this fall. The participants, who were friendly acquaintances but not close friends, were asked to be frank about their feedback and first impressions. “That was a key part of our business and what we learned from those groups, among many things, is that they expected the size and style of our bags to mimic an actual grocery bag. Having that one-on-one feedback was essential to starting off on the right foot,” explained Hodges.

“Besides growing our business, we want to give back to the community. We feel very blessed for this opportunity,” said Tyra Hodges. Hodges currently serves on the board of Horsham’s Cradles to Crayons.

There are two divisions of Tymel Style—the designer line which will be sold in Main Line boutiques and specialty shops as ideal gifts for baby showers, fashion forward shopping bags or a reusable, pretty tailgating tote. And then there is the exciting corporate side of the business—which will focus on (wedding) hotel guests, fundraisers, trade shows, law firms, pharmaceutical companies and supermarkets. “We will continue to expand our designs and collection with seasonal designs. Children’s lunch bags are an area of growth we will be focusing on and feel that we can develop and really run with,” explained Parker.

Their designs (including a brown and green bamboo graphic and a bright paisley print) are fun, bold and fashionable-think Lilly Pulitzer meets Vera Bradley. And, Tymel’s custom, high quality and stylish reusable bags can carry up to fifty pounds of groceries or shopping items. “We constructed the main design to mimic an actual paper shopping bag-it made sense. So, it’s lean and easy to transport. We’ve put a tremendous amount of time and research into our business because it can’t just be a good-looking product, it has to do the job and hold up,” explained Hodges.

Hodges serves on the board of Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit based in Boston, with a local chapter in Horsham. The charity’s mission is to connect communities in need by providing basic essentials to disadvantaged children from birth to twelve years of age, filtered through social service agencies (shelters, hospitals). “We connected with Tyra last November with our fundraiser on National Family Philanthropy Day. We were looking to have in-kind donations for the 500 guests and Tyra and Melissa worked together for a generous donation. They are very giving with their time and resources–all donated items were packaged in beautiful Tymel bags,” Kelly Clarke, executive director of Cradles to Crayons, explained. Civic responsibility is a part of Tymel Style that both Parker and Hodges believe very strongly in. “This business is bigger than us and its very important for us to give back. So, a portion of the proceeds of each and every bag benefits Cradles to Crayons,” explained Hodges.

Tymel is in negotiations with a number of the country’s top grocery chains to carry their fashion-forward shopping bags that retail for $8. Pictured is Melissa Parker, a Duke University grad and former interior designer.

The duo has been busy networking not only with Philadelphia-based businesses and charities but also major environmental movers and shakers. Hodges and Parker attended the 2009 Good Jobs, Green Jobs Conference in Washington, D.C. in February, where they met with New York Times best selling author Van Jones. Jones is best known for his book “The Green Collar Economy.” An activist and think tank fellow, Jones joined the Obama administration in March as a special adviser on green jobs. And, Tymel Style was recently accepted into the Green For All Business Protégé Program-an incubation program focused on mentoring start-up, minority owned businesses.

Close to nine months into their business venture and with a wave of socially conscious consumerism backing up their concept, Hodges and Parker are looking towards a greener future, in more ways than one. “There are so many creative, meaningful concepts Tymel Style can offer, especially within the supermarket industry. Reusable bags are not new, but what we are offering is an entire model based around a marketing philosophy. We can work with the grocery stores on individual campaigns in which, when they carry our bags, we will give back to a charity or cause of their choice. We’re a small company, so everything is customized to work with each project and goal that is suitable for Tymel and our business partners. And last but not least, in addition to reducing your carbon footprint, we are making ‘green’ stylish! Our prints are fashion-forward and attractive so you can certainly be proud to shop on the Main Line with a beautiful Tymel bag over your shoulder,” enthused Parker.

Tymel Style LLC is based in Villanova, PA. The company can be reached via email: info@tymelstyle.com; for order and product inquiries call: 215-653-7339. Check out their website at: www.tymelstyle.com.

Grand Opening: A Capacity Crowd Filled the Bakery Anxious to Test the Gluten-Free Treats.

Christine Ruggio had suffered for twenty-five years with debilitating stomach ailments, making hundreds of visits to her doctor complaining of severe pain and digestive issues. And, for twenty-five years, Ruggio was given the same diagnosis. “’You are hyper, you are in high school, so it’s stress-related. You are about to get married, you need to calm down, it is all about stress. You have IBS, you need to calm down and relax, look what you are doing to yourself! You have children now, you are getting too wound up,’” Ruggio explains. So, Ruggio’s doctor placed her on medication for IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and strictly advised her to take it easy—ensuring her the symptoms would eventually subside if she followed her prescriptions and cut back on her busy lifestyle.

But Ruggio felt that there was something more to her body’s rejection of some of the food she consumed – and finally she confronted her doctor again. “I said to him, ‘Let’s get real here. Aren’t we masking the problem and not trying to solve it? This is not going away and I’m getting worse,’” she said.

But the doctor visits continued and Ruggio’s health continued to worsen. Then, a few years ago she took a family trip to Italy, where her Italian cousin happened to be on a gluten-free diet. Everywhere they went the whole family dined on gluten-free meals, and educated Ruggio about the intolerance to wheat that had made her cousin very ill. This was the first time she had heard about a medical condition called Celiac Disease, an autoimmune intestinal disorder that affects people for life.

Yes We Can!
At Sweet Christine’s, Celiacs can elect to choose from a variety of decadent desserts.

According to a local Ambler-based company, Gluten Free Works (www.glutenfreeworks.com), Celiac Disease is an inherited, lifelong sensitivity to gluten, a protein found in the grains of wheat, barley, rye and oats. When activated by gluten, Celiac Disease becomes a digestive disorder that results in poor absorption of food nutrients, with or without digestive symptoms like pain, bloating, diarrhea or constipation.

In 2005, Ruggio hit a physical rock bottom. She even started to have neurological issues and one physician suggested it might be the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis. Then 46, Ruggio made a new appointment with a wellness doctor who had knowledge of Celiac Disease, suspecting that this might be the answer to her years of illness. “I said, ‘While we are at it, throw in a test for this condition I just learned about where your body rejects the protein in wheat–and see what happens.’” Her test came back positive. And, ever since that day, Ruggio has not touched a product containing wheat.

As a newly diagnosed celiac, Ruggio was relieved that her years of suffering with severe medical symptoms were now over, but as a food lover and cook, she found herself frustrated by the lack of great-tasting gluten-free food items on the market. Ruggio heard that most celiacs end up baking their own bread and preparing their own food at home. So, she went to work in her kitchen–experimenting with her family’s favorite recipes while attempting to keep the cookies, pizzelles and cupcakes delicious. After 110 attempts at a chocolate chip cookie recipe and hundreds of hours of taste-testing to perfect her desserts, Christine Ruggio had baked herself a business.

Fast forward three years later to the fall of 2008, and Christine Ruggio, mom to three, and a healthy and vibrant 39-year-old, is the proud owner of one of the Philadelphia region’s first gluten-free bakeries. Appropiately named Sweet Christine’s, it’s charming, quaint space is located in the heart of historic downtown Kennett Square. For the past year and a half, Ruggio had been a successful wholesaler of several gluten-free bakery items and decided that with her products gaining in popularity, it was time to open up her own retail location near her home in Bucks County.

Appealing to the growing number of children being diagnosed with food allergies was important to Ruggio as well. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released a new study entitled “Food Allergy Among U.S. Children.” This national study of 9,500 children revealed the following:

• In 2007, approximately 3 million children under 18 (3.9%) had a food allergy
• From 1997 to 2007, the prevalence of food allergies among children under 18 increased +18%
• Boys and girls have similar rates of food allergies–3.8% for boys and 4.1% for girls
• 4.7% of children under 5 reported a food allergy, versus 3.7% of children aged 5-18
• Children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have other related conditions such as asthma and other allergies, compared with children without food allergies

That’s Amore
Owner Christine Ruggio prepares a delicious gluten-free pizza for her bakery.

The new corner bakery is kid-friendly, with a giant chalk board, tables, and a window seat to encourage families to stop by and hang out. Sweet Christine’s is in talks with Philadelphia and Delaware school districts to supply their cafeterias with gluten-free products for the children. “I came into this business because of my diagnosis, but the needs of the kids being diagnosed with allergies is increasing every day — so that is honestly where I think Sweet Christine’s can make a difference. I’m not just trying to turn a dime in a new retail location. This is an important health issue, obviously to me personally, and I think we can really make a difference.”

Ruggio, 39, is a Delaware native, University of Delaware grad and devoted mom to three young children—Giovanna,10, Sophia, 8 and Nicholas 4. “I always knew I wanted to do something to help children and I chose this spot in downtown Kennett Square because it’s a great area and I am honestly right around the corner from my kids’ school, so I can balance the work and the home life,” she said.

The bakery opened about a month ago in late October and hosted a grand opening, supported by an incredible crowd of hundreds, on November 7th. Guests noshed on cupcakes, cookies, pizza, pita wraps and bread—all gluten-free. Ruggio buzzed about the bakery, accepting high-fives and hugs, glowing with pride in her successful, creative business venture. Far behind her is the quarter century mystery about her deteriorating health. “I feel so much better it is incredible. My body was robbed of vitamins—wheat was poison to my body. I was facing a devastating diagnosis of MS, with fifteen MRI’s in just a couple of months in 2005 and a medical folder stuffed with files. And, yet, all along it was a pretty simple problem and diagnosis – if I had just been speaking with the right physician,” she lamented.

Sweet Christine’s Gluten-Free Bakery
Kennett Square, PA
www.sweetchristinesglutenfree.com

Over the next few weeks Ruggio will be busy filling and keeping up with her online business, making gluten-free breads and pumpkin pies for the busy holiday season (that can be shipped anywhere in the United States). After the New Year, Sweet Christine’s plans on expanding their menu and developing key gluten-free resources connected with the store. There seems no end in site for a small company on the gluten-free rise.

“The response has been overwhelming, it really has been. I just wanted to stick to wholesale but we couldn’t turn down the requests and the demand and so this has just evolved very rapidly. And, I think that’s because we make good, delicious, healthy products that most people who come here don’t even realize are gluten-free. It always makes me chuckle to myself when someone buys a bunch of cupcakes and breads and raves about them without even seeing our gluten-free signs in the store. And, they seem to come back just as much, if not more than the clients who have Celiac Disease. Maybe one of these days I’ll gently break it to them that they are devouring a ton of delicious gluten-free products!”

Sweet Christine’s Bakery is located at 132 West State Street in Kennett Square, PA. Christine Ruggio can be reached at: 610-444-5542 or email: cruggio@sweetchristinesglutenfree.com

Try this great Gluten-Free Recipe courtesy of Sweet Christine’s:

Pizzelles (Italian Cookie) 2 cups of Tapioca Flour
2 cups of Potato Flour
1 1/2 cups White Rice Flour
1 Cup Sorghum Flour
2 Cups of Organic Evaporated Cane Juice
2 Sticks of Organic Salted Butter
2 teaspoons of xanthan gum
2 tablespoons baking powder
6 Organic Eggs
4 tablespoons Organic Anise Oil

This can all be done by mixing with hand.

Melt butter and cool
Mix sugar with butter and eggs
Add anise oil
Gradually add dry ingredients
Mix completely

Spray Pizzelle Iron with cooking spray
Place a tablespoon size on each iron grill for about 30 sec.
Take out and sprinkle with powder sugar or roll up while still hot and dip in melted chocolate.

Bon Appetit!
Christine Ruggio
Owner, Sweet Christine’s Gluten-Free Bakery