Innovation

12 years ago, Papa Ganache and the PGP LLC was founded by Lisa Siroti and her friend who worked at the NJ Children's System of Care. During this time, Lisa Siroti was a social worker who was involved in the Children’s System of Care and shared a workplace with her friend at the time. The Children’s System of Care is an intensive in-home community therapy program that is sponsored and maintained by the state of New Jersey. As a result, her passion for social work and helping others drove her to want to create her own agency which is known today as PGP LLC. During her time at the Children’s System of Care, Lisa befriended a care manager who would soon turn her vision into reality. Lisa’s friend was vegan, a baker, and a care management social worker who also shared business aspirations. As their shared interests continue to grow, they decided to create Papa Ganache and the Papa Ganache Project.

Papa Ganache’s bakery is not just any bakery– they are a vegan bakery that emphasizes using pure ingredients, which are almost entirely organic. Papa Ganache also ensures that all its customers can indulge in their treats by accommodating any allergies based on customer needs. This part of the business targets the SDG’s Good Health of using the best ingredients in their products. The Papa Ganache Project is there to help at-risk youth battle mental struggles. People’s definition of well-being is a very wide spectrum, but PGP’s vision is to make therapy more engaging by incorporating baking into it. PGP incorporates the Papa Ganache bakery into their programs, offering a unique and fun way for children to receive mental health services. PGP has offered group baking classes with the goal of building communication skills for kids with social disabilities. The mental health services help to increase the mental well-being of children in the community.

The combined business creates a positive and healthy environment for children, both physically and mentally. Children are able to receive mental health services in a non-intrusive environment, and also can be treated to health conscious desserts after they are done. The business takes a holistic approach to the health of the children they care for.

Inspiration

Lisa Siroti always had a deep love for children, and this influenced her in her decision of creating Papa Ganache and the Papa Ganache Project. At the age of 43 she went back to school to obtain a Master of Social Work and began working with the New Jersey Children’s System of Care. During her time working there, she befriended a care manager who had a dream of opening a vegan bakery. She also wanted to start her own agency, so she decided to partner with him to create Papa Ganache. She had always loved animals and opening an allergy-sensitive bakery was a way to give kids with allergies a feeling of normalcy. When kids that normally were not able to eat desserts would come into her store, she would be happy to tell them they could eat anything in the store. “The kid is so excited; the mother is also excited; for just a bit her kid can be an average kid.” Siroti was also very glad she was able to provide children working with the Papa Ganache Project with a more fun and comfortable experience than they would receive at an ordinary behavioral development practice. The bakery environment was much more interactive, and kids would always be excited to be given sweet treats after their appointments. She stated that “children are excited to work with us, and the environment is much less intrusive”. Siroti was able to merge two things she is passionate about into a business model where both parts complement each other.

Overall impact

It has been 12 years since Lisa Siroti created Papa Ganache and the Papa Ganache Project. Both sides of the business have expanded since then, and both sides possess synergies with each other. Papa Ganache Project has become a trusted partner with the Children’s System of Care, and its clients represent a combination of these patients, as well as private patients. The therapy side of the business currently has between 150-250 clients, and there is so much current demand they are struggling to meet capacity. Kids from the Children’s System of Care are always especially excited when they are assigned to PGP due to the unique model the business follows. As Siroti commented: “when was the last time you went to a therapist and you made brownies with them?” Siroti is proud of the reputation she has built in the New Jersey social work community and believes her unique business model is a large reason as to why that is the case. She stated that “our greatest accomplishment is gaining the trust of the professionals in the state.” The bakery side of the business has also been a big success, and they have since expanded to a total of three locations throughout Central New Jersey. There is a solid amount of overlap between the clients of the two businesses, with many of the connections Siroti makes in the social work world becoming regular clients of the bakery business.

Business benefit

When viewing Papa Ganache from a business perspective, the combination of baked goods tied closely with a health benefit project has created a successful and widespread operation. There is often a stigma that vegan and gluten free food taste lackluster, but Siroti pushes back against this by creating products that are widely appealing to the general public. She states how appearance and visual factors are a major key when presenting her vegan baked goods. One example she gave was a child’s birthday party where more children gravitated towards her vegan alternative rather than traditional cupcakes. Siroti says that she wants to “veganize regular things”, and that she has benefited the business by creating a product as good if not better than the original. She also mentions how product development continues to improve and they are always coming up with new ideas. The bakery side of the business now has three locations throughout Central New Jersey. The Main Street Matawan location proved to be a successful location despite initial pushback. From the Bakery perspective, Siroti’s client retention stems from skilled bakers who are trained in-house and provide quality goods in addition to creating product innovations.

The Papa Ganache Project has also benefited as a business by linking up with the Papa Ganache bakery, and the unique services it offers using the bakery causes it to be in high demand. Currently there are between 150-250 current referrals for new clients and they are struggling to keep up with demand. The heavy referral rate is also fueled by endorsements on behalf of the partnership with a therapy office who is a Medicaid provider within the State of New Jersey. The combined company has built up a strong presence in the community, and she states that “people want to work with us because of our reputation.”

Social and environmental benefit

The combination of PGP LLC and Papa Ganache has made a difference for the community as it offers a “non-intrusive way to engage children” in therapeutic help. As most of her clients are from the Children's System of Care, the company deals with children ranging from the age of 3-21. Therapy sessions are typically viewed to be a one-on-one conversation in an office to discuss any personal issues. However, with PGP, they are able to meet children and their families in a more natural and fun environment. This unique approach provides help without making patients feel uncomfortable. Lisa has a different perspective on therapy, she looks “at therapy as a way to get what you need, and then implement it into your life.” Her perspective has offered a completely new method of giving back to the community while also integrating her own personal passions.

Children have difficulty discussing how they feel, therefore, establishing a safe place for them is essential. Within the bakery, Lisa offers pure ingredients, mainly organic, to take into consideration for kids with allergies. She wants them to be able to come inside the bakery and say, “you can eat anything in this whole place.” The opportunities for inclusion allow children to feel part of society which could ultimately benefit their mental health. Children represent the future of our society, therefore, offering this opportunity for help will assist in our overall community’s well-being.

Interview

Lisa Siroti, Owner/Executive Director