More than Cinnamon Rolls: a Business Built on Reentry

A Utah man who says he envisioned a cinnamon roll company while incarcerated is now building a business centered on second chances. Casey Vanderhoef employs people navigating reentry while growing a frozen take-and-bake cinnamon roll startup.  

Rize Sweet Rollz employs people navigating life after incarceration

While incarcerated, Casey completed culinary and business programs and began developing the idea for his cinnamon roll company.

Casey Vanderhoef spent six months in a kitchen at a halfway house just grinding every day. He was committed to baking every day and trying to figure it out.

His products are frozen take and bake items, “So your kitchen and your house smells like this place when you make them. And that’s what we want. You don’t get that with finished rolls.”

Casey says, “Sometimes, as someone with a felonious background, we end up waiting in the back of a lot of lines for things like employment and housing, and it can be a very hard process. So, one thing that’s nice about being a startup is that we just skip the line. We just start working.”

Casey’s vision

“The vision of my company was not only to make the world a better place because we were in it and creating joy through food, but also to create a space for formerly incarcerated people to find work and dignity and safety. Yeah, we’re a local cinnamon roll company. We make frozen dough. But we’re very proud of it.”

Growth

“By the time I left the Happy House, I had secured my first wholesale contract with Beehive Meals. That first job gave us enough capital to get into our own space. And since then, we’ve been able to add two local grocers. So, there’s where we’re merchandised - in the freezer aisle with our frozen cinnamon roll dough.”

“It’s always a proud moment to see our stuff on display. Our packaging isn’t as colorful as our competitors, but we’re really proud and confident that our product is.”

Setting goals

“Going through re-entry we learned there’s a difference between writing down goals that you hope will provide purpose for you in a way that maybe feelings of old patterns... it’ll keep you free from that, right? So, if I can just find stable employment, I won’t want to get high. Like, we’ve taken a different route.”

“We’ve tried to stay focused on vision, knowing that there is purpose in what we’re doing. When we make cinnamon rolls here, we don’t get to see people experience them at their homes. But we know that if we do it right, they’re going to tell us about it. And they have, and it’s been great.”

“This isn’t always very validating. We’re just operating on that faith. So, that’s something we try to provide for each other. Trying to, you know, make sure that we’re all focused on why we’re doing this.”

“But we all occupy spaces with so many men that are coming out of prison, and we just want to show them, like, you don’t have to wait in anybody else’s line. You know, if you have an idea, just go do it. You know, it’s messy, and it’s hard, but it’s possible.”

“Free cinnamon roll sample? You’re welcome.”

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