Killer Brownie’s® Beginnings

Killer Brownie® is the #1-selling gourmet brownie in the nation! We grew from a local cult following into a successful wholesale company and are proudly available in over 15,000 locations across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

The first Killer Brownie® was created because of a family’s entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for innovation that began decades before. In this blog, we’ll take you on a journey through time and discuss the Mayne family’s inspiring journey that led to the creation of the Original Killer Brownie®. 

Before the Killer Brownie® Boom

With the population and economy skyrocketing in 1948, Calvin Mayne—grandfather to Killer Brownie® President and COO Chimene Mayne Ross—foresaw the popularity of the modern supermarket.

“This was when a supermarket concept was very new…[he] was really way ahead of his time,” Chimene said. 

In the late 1940s and early 50s, only 32% of food sales came from grocery stores (McTaggart, 2012). In true entrepreneurial spirit in 1949, Calvin Mayne seized the opportunity to begin turning his fruit stand into a thriving grocery business he called Dorothy Lane Market.

Starting Dorothy Lane Market

Located on the south side of Dayton, Ohio, Dorothy Lane sold mainly fruits and vegetables and occasionally some meat and other groceries. The store became very popular, and Calvin made it his mission to personally greet every customer who came through the door. 

Calvin’s wife, Vera, was a businesswoman in her own right. Like her husband, she had her own successful fruit stand before the start of Dorothy Lane Market. When the store was created, she was a hands-on team player who played a key role in growing the business. 

As the store grew in popularity, Vera was critical in strengthening the company’s values of integrity and service to the community. She remained a majority owner for many years after the store passed to her and Calvin’s son, Norman.

A Killer Creation in DLM’s Bakeries

In the 1960s, Norman’s goal for Dorothy Lane was to sell high-quality products that the community needed. He wanted the store to be a source of joy for customers and strove to provide that in Dorothy Lane Market’s offerings. 

As a child, Norman and his family often drove two hours north of Dayton to visit a shop that sold incredible ice cream. It became a core memory for Norman, inspiring him to incorporate special products that customers would go out of their way to experience. 

“As a family, they were willing to drive far distances for unique products and unique memories,” Chimene said. “He wanted to incorporate that into the story of his store.” 

From this idea, the first Killer Brownie® was born. In the 1980s, Dorothy Lane Market started making a multi-layered gourmet brownie. It was a product unlike any other, featuring layers of rich chocolate brownie folded with crunchy pecans that hugged a layer of creamy caramel in the center, sprinkled with chocolate chips. 

“In the 1970s, “killer” was used as a descriptor if you wanted to describe something that was epic and big and over-the-top,” Chimene explained. 

So, the brownie was named the Original Killer Brownie®. 

The Killer Growth of a Company

The Original Killer Brownie® took Dorothy Lane Market to another level and helped it become even more of a destination location. The brownie became very popular in the community and developed a local cult following. Over time, other retailers became interested in selling Killer Brownie® in their stores.

“As the demand was growing, it made sense for it to become a separate financial entity,” Chimene said. 

In 2000, the Killer Brownie® Company was founded. However, becoming a wholesaler didn’t come without its own challenges. 

“Some of the initial challenges [came from] scaling what we were doing,” Chimene said. 

It was essential to become operationally efficient and remain true to the quality of the product after scaling. Becoming Food Safety Certified was an integral part of helping to maintain the quality that Killer Brownie® was known for. Additionally, distribution was a challenge we had to overcome; we had to figure out the most efficient way to move Killer Brownies® to various retailers across the country without compromising quality. 

Today, Killer Brownie® has over 100 different SKUs in many flavors, including everyday and seasonal limited-time offers. We offer Foodservice slabs and retail-ready bars, bites, and individually wrapped brownies, allowing us to give consumers everywhere a variety of options. 

We are proud of the massive growth Killer Brownie® has seen in recent years. Not too long ago, Killer Brownies® were made in a 7,000 sqft facility with only six employees. Now, we have over 120 passionate team members who help us produce, sell, and distribute millions of brownies per month!

“That’s been a really exciting part of our business growth,” Chimene said. “[We have] a lot of fun [products] that we’re creating that no one else is doing.” 

From humble beginnings to nationwide success, Killer Brownie’s® story is one of inspiring perseverance. With innovative thinking and a passion for serving the community through quality products, Calvin and Vera Mayne championed a legacy of entrepreneurship that lives on through Dorothy Lane Market and the Killer Brownie® Company.