Eileen Spitalny and David Kravetz met as kindergartners on their elementary school playground at Madison Heights in Phoenix. Unbeknownst to them, it was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Growing up, their play dates often involved Kravetz’s mom’s delectable brownies. They affectionately joked she was the next Mrs. Fields. Or, rather, the first “Mrs. Kravetz.”
Even as children, their innate entrepreneurial spirits shone. Kravetz exhibited his through a paper route and a button-making business, while Spitalny’s persuasion skills emerged early. Her mother was convinced she’d grow up to be a lawyer. By high school, Spitalny and Kravetz recognized their complementary strengths. "We felt like we could get [homework] done better and faster together," Spitalny reminisces.
After graduating, the two friends took different career paths. Yet, they eventually became disillusioned with their corporate roles and decided to start a business together. Although they entertained a few ideas, they kept returning to commercializing the brownies from Mrs. Kravetz’s kitchen.
It was 1992. Together, the friends-turned-business-partners were driven by a singular goal: to make the best brownies, the way Ben & Jerry’s had the best ice cream. This commitment meant their brownies would be made from clean ingredients, free of preservatives and artificial colors, truly pure, homemade delectableness, just like the treats they grew up on. They tested chocolates from around the world—French, Belgian, American, Swiss—leveraging Spitalny’s work connections for blind taste tests.
Kravetz recalls for the first two years, "We worked full-time during the day, and then we went into our friend's catering kitchen at night and worked another eight hours.” During that demanding period, they also crafted a business plan, co-signed a business loan with their parents, and brainstormed an official name.
Kravetz and Spitalny headed to the library to conduct name research in this pre-internet era. While brainstorming "B" words, they stumbled upon "brownie" in the dictionary. Kravetz shares that it has a second definition as a "good-natured elf who performs helpful deeds at night" in Irish and Scottish folklore. This led the friends to create the legend of a magical brownie who bakes and cleans up invisibly, without needing a show of gratitude. "It's kind of perfect because we're in a gift-giving space," Spitalny notes, connecting the folklore to their mission of spreading joy.
Finally, in 1994, Kravetz and Spitalny quit their day jobs. A year later, Kravetz acquired the coveted URL "brownies.com" from a simple search. Running a small business wasn't easy, but Kravetz shares, "I’ve always liked having a partner so we can share the good times and the bad. You know, we lift each other up at different times." Spitalny adds that their long-standing friendship allowed them to navigate disagreements and the inherent stress of entrepreneurship. They wisely set parameters around their partnership early on, knowing it would contribute to their long-term success. "We had no idea we were starting a manufacturing business, a seasonal business, just all these other things," Spitalny admits.
They also contribute their success to their community. “My mom answered the phone,” says Spitalny, and her husband was their first paid baker. “David's mom helped make gift crates. They helped, and all our friends and really everybody around us helped support us.”
Today, Fairytale Brownies employs a full-time workforce of 45, expanding to nearly 200 seasonally. They've baked over 80 million brownies, all from their Phoenix bakery. Their commitment to the community is evident through their partnership with KABOOM!, a non-profit that builds and develops playgrounds for kids. Through this non-profit work, Spitalny and Kravetz have raised $650,000 to build playgrounds nationwide, including three here in Phoenix. It’s a full circle moment for the friends each time, knowing the playground was the start of their friendship. The team behind Fairytale Brownies also gives tours of their 37,000-square-foot Phoenix bakery to school groups and mentors young entrepreneurs.
Kravetz and Spitalny offer valuable advice for parents of children with entrepreneurial leanings. Kravetz emphasizes the importance of asking questions and being open to learning. Spitalny adds that it’s okay to make mistakes because that’s “helpful for the next step.”
Kravetz says his favorite part of his job is the stories his customers share. “It’s heartwarming,” he says with a smile. “One thing we hear pretty often is something along the lines of, ‘I have a 90-year-old grandmother. She doesn't eat much. She's stuck at home. But boy, when she puts that brownie in her mouth, she just lights up.”
Spitalny adds that she enjoys handing brownies to people and seeing their reactions when they fall in love with Fairytale Brownies—because they’re good—Ben and Jerry’s brownie good.
Follow Fairytale Brownies on social media, @FairytaleBrownies, and tag them #BROWNIELOVE.
It’s a full circle moment for the friends each time, knowing the playground was the start of their friendship.
This led the friends to create the legend of a magical brownie who bakes and cleans up invisibly, without needing a show of gratitude...connecting the folklore to their mission of spreading joy.