Food Scientist Who Owns Bakery Determined To Help Other Women Succeed

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - A food scientist who owns and operates a bakery shop in Omaha, Nebraska, is working to open more doors of opportunity for women.

"There have been times where people don't take me particularly seriously, because I am a woman," says Katina Talley, who owns Sweet Magnolias bakery. "There will be people that come into the shop and ask where my boss is, and are surprised to find out that we are woman owned."

Talley earned her degree in Food Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and began her career as a food scientist in the ConAgra Foods (now known as Conagra Brands) bakery lab.

After she developed products for popular brands such as Marie Callenders, Hunts Tomatoes and Peter Pan Peanut Butter, Talley ultimately returned to her true passion -- baking -- and purchased Sweet Magnolias in 2016.

About 80 percent of Talley's customers and employees are women. Sweet Magnolias Bakery supports a nonprofit organization each month -- and that's what brings some customers in.

"I choose to support Sweet Magnolias because it is a woman-owned business that is all about social justice and giving back to the Omaha community," Amanda Martinez tells CBS affiliate KMTV.

Talley says she's excited to back organizations that support women's causes.

"A lot of times, society tries to put us against each other and make us think that other women are competition, I think that the absolute opposite is true," she explains. "The more that we support each other, the more we grow and the more we thrive."

In March, for example, 100 percent of the bakery's proceeds from their unicorn bars went to support the Women's Fund of Omaha, which addresses gender-based inequities in the community, and Women Who Run Nebraska, a political action committee that supports and promotes progressive women running for office in the state.