Catalina Mihu: You were recognized as one of the most successful self-made women in America by Forbes in 2021. This year, the Horatio Alger Award is added to your impressive collection of recognitions celebrating your work. What does your day’s work agenda look like, when the work means constantly building one of the most instantly recognizable names in the baking industry?
Cordia Harrington: Thank you for the compliment about Crown. Yianny Caparos, Doug Bame, and the whole team work very hard every day to continually improve on quality, new product offerings, and good value for our brands. It’s a privilege to be trusted to serve our elite customers.
My agenda changes daily – it could include a trip to one of the bakeries for a tour, a Zoom meeting, an American Bakers Association board meeting, or a call with McDonald’s. The variety is energizing!
Mihu: How do you work to solve current business challenges, with the goal of maintaining your supply uninterrupted?
Cordia Harrington: The baking business, like many businesses, has hurdles from employee retention, training, and having the right products to bake on the available lines! Baking is a ‘see-saw’ of too little capacity or too much capacity. Crown built a new line to bake for a specific product launch, and the launch did not fill the entire line, so we worked hard to get more sales. Then, once the line was full, the product performed well in the market, and there was not enough capacity! This is a common hurdle.
Mihu: Challenges aside, what aspect of working in the industry would you consider your favorite? What is the joy in baking as a business, and why is that?
Cordia Harrington: The baking industry is small. We know the families and leaders of our competition. They are all men and women of high integrity, professional and dedicated to quality, making this industry very pleasant to work in. We help each other if a plant goes down for repair, or if there is an emergency. Our suppliers are very dedicated to helping our plants stay online, and go out of their way to help. The Industry is small and very special.
I think it is FUN knowing our products are being enjoyed while families are ‘making memories’. I go to McDonald’s several times a week to enjoy their food… and I am very proud to see moms and dads with their children enjoying our buns or muffins.
The 79th Horatio Holger Award recognized Cordia Harrington this year among the leaders who embody the ‘American dream’ through hard work and perseverance | picture © Crown Bakeries
Mihu: To stay at the top, in a company and as a company in an industry, consistent work is needed to both consolidate foothold and to advance. How have you been focusing on both, as the leader of Crown Bakeries?
Cordia Harrington: It takes top talent to grow and excel in any field. Our partners at Arbor encourage hiring the best, paying them well, and motivating the team. Our new R&D team landed some big wins in the past year with a very large customer who has taken these products to retail nationwide. That was fun! And we have solid products in the pipeline to roll out in 2026. In addition, we are always on the lookout to buy a bakery that offers additional capacity and capabilities. In the past five years, we have made six acquisitions.
“The baking industry is small. We know the families and leaders of our competition. They are all men and women of high integrity, professional and dedicated to quality, making this industry very pleasant to work in. We help each other if a plant goes down for repair, or if there is an emergency.”
Cordia Harrington
Mihu: What can you share from the projects in progress this year? What does new product development prioritize?
Cordia Harrington: Crown has many projects in process: a new bun line in Wisconsin, launching a new market. Over 15 new savory and sweet products have hit the retail shelves and there are five others in R&D. Eddie (in R&D) is baking ideation samples daily for our team to present to our large customers. It is a thrill to see the new products be successful with the consumers
“As we discussed new company names, Crown rose to the top because the technical name for the top of the bun is the ‘crown’. It’s the first thing you see. Crown was a nod to our heritage but allowed us to become known for a wider variety of bakery products.”
Cordia Harrington
Mihu: How would you describe your leadership style? And what values have you instilled in the company’s culture? How do the people at Crown respond to them?
Cordia Harrington: Culture is key to success. Our culture is based on our mission to ‘Create Opportunities, Make a Difference, and Impact Lives’. We enjoy connecting, encouraging, and supporting growth to be the best we can be, as individuals and as a company. My personal leadership style is an ‘Encourager’.
More than ‘just buns’
Mihu: Having started as Tennessee Bun Company, what did the transformation to Crown Bakeries entail? What was your vision then?
Cordia Harrington: Tennessee Bun Company transitioned to Crown Bakeries because we became more than ‘just’ a bun company. We wanted to expand our offerings to include croissants, bagels, brownies and more. As we discussed new names, Crown rose to the top because the technical name for the top of the bun is the “crown.” It’s the first thing you see. Crown was a nod to our heritage but allowed us to become known for a wider variety of bakery products.
Mihu: And what is your vision for Crown Bakeries now, having transitioned from the CEO role in 2025? How do you work with the company’s new CEO, Yianny Caparos?
Cordia Harrington: Yianny and I have deep trust. We speak often and bounce ideas off each other. Yianny executes and manages the day-to-day operations. We are having a lot of fun!
Mihu: Crown Bakeries supplies major QSR companies with buns, from McDonald’s to Pepperidge Farm and Five Guys. What qualities must buns have, seeing as they earned you the ‘Bun Lady’ fame?
Cordia Harrington: Our buns must meet a set of 38 exacting criteria when they go through the X-ray machine on each line before they can be packaged. The criteria include symmetry, seed placement, number of seeds on the bun, porosity, and more.
Mihu: Crown Bakeries not only supplies buns, but it is also continuously expanding and reinventing itself. What is your strategy driving this growth?
Cordia Harrington: Our strategy for growth is to simply support our customers’ need for new products and bake them! We aim to be the best at developing the products our customers want.
Mihu: How are new product ideas identified and perfected?
Cordia Harrington: Our new Crown products are created by dreaming with the customer, then presenting samples, commercializing the new products, and the new packaging. We have the ability to package in bulk and singles, and everything in between.
Mihu: You applied for a McDonald’s franchise, seeing as it would allow spending time with the family, which had become challenging in your real estate business. How do family and work balance in the baking industry?
Cordia Harrington: Family was my driving force to become a baker also. Having a business that allowed me to hire a trusted, professional team gave us a much better work-life balance.
Work-life balance is a priority for our teams; however, when a hurdle arises, it is ‘all hands on deck’ and everyone pitches in. We have a flexible paid time off program and encourage travel and family time.
“Baking is both art and science.”
Cordia Harrington
“Ask lots of questions!”
Mihu: If your life was made into a movie, what moments would be on your list to include, as significant milestones? And why?
Cordia Harrington: My life has been a dream and is full of blessings. Too many to mention!
Mihu: What would you pinpoint as the biggest challenges in your formidable work as a woman in a baking business?
Cordia Harrington: The baking business was welcoming to me as a woman – surprisingly so! As a woman restaurant franchisee, I often felt invisible. I would make a suggestion and be met with ‘crickets’. Five minutes later, a man could say the same thing and have it called a good idea. It was very frustrating.
Cordia Harrington spoke at a networking event for the women in the baking industry, organized by Dawn Foods at its IBIE 2022 stand | picture © f2m
Mihu: Your recent award celebrates leaders who have overcome adversity and are committed to supporting others. How do you support young people joining the industry, and Crown Bakeries?
Cordia Harrington: Baking is a fabulous career opportunity for women (and men). When I speak publicly, I encourage young people to consider baking as a future career. I speak at schools and work with counselors to offer internships and summer jobs. This industry is inclusive and warm, and it offers upward mobility to dedicated workers.
“Our buns must meet a set of 38 exacting criteria when they go through the X-ray machine on each line before they can be packaged. The criteria include symmetry, seed placement, number of seeds on the bun, porosity, and more.”
Cordia Harrington
Mihu: What would you consider the most convincing arguments in such presentations you give?
Cordia Harrington: The Baking Industry is a welcoming profession, one where an individual can start at the bottom and become a senior leader in a few years’ time. Drive, determination and dedication pay off in baking. Learning all positions, and working well with others, personal pride in the job and attention to quality… these lead to generous salaries, 401k match, and plentiful benefits. I cannot think of another industry that has such a great upside.
Mihu: What advice would you offer young women starting a career in baking?
Cordia Harrington: Say yes! Get involved on committees (like safety), go to industry events, host tours for the community, ask lots of questions, and learn something new daily.
Mihu: What would be an example of a question you would ask today (and to whom would it be addressed)?
Cordia Harrington: “Mr. President, how may I become an Ambassador representing the USA?”
Mihu: How should women’s representation be supported to grow in leading roles in the baking industry?
Cordia Harrington: Women should be encouraged to show up and volunteer; they will have visibility and opportunity if they have ways to get more involved in leadership.
Mihu: Please highlight your strategy toward investing in innovation – and the people developing it.
Cordia Harrington: Innovation is a core value at Crown. Our R&D lab has been rebuilt, and our R&D team has success in commercializing new products. Innovation also spans to our supply chain and packaging.
Mihu: How do you see the bakery industry today? What changes should bakers prepare for?
Cordia Harrington: The bakery industry is a staple in the American home. Our products bring nutrition and joy, and we are changing to satisfy both taste buds and nutritional needs, such as gluten-free and other specialized needs. Who knows what the consumer will want in 10 years – but we will be baking it!
Mihu: In your experience, what is the hardest thing to master to be a successful baker?
Cordia Harrington: A successful baker must have patience, dedication, and perseverance. Putting in the time to really learn is imperative because baking is both art and science.