Blended Blessings: A Sweet New Venture in Bolivar
When you meet Tammy Cramer, you can feel her warmth and energy right away. She’s the kind of person who lights up when talking about community, helping others—and now, serving something delightfully sweet.
This summer, Tammy and her husband, Scott, finally rolled out their long-awaited dream: Blended Blessings, a pineapple whip food trailer serving up creamy, tropical-flavored treats in Bolivar, Missouri.
The idea had been stirring for years. “I’ve wanted to do this for five years,” Tammy said. “It’s scary to start something new, but I finally decided it was time.”
That leap of faith has paid off. With warm fall weather keeping crowds out and about, Blended Blessings has had a strong first season—proof that good things really do come to those who keep going.
Finding the Right Support in Rural Missouri
Behind the cheerful yellow trailer and swirl of pineapple whip is a story of patience, learning, and partnership.
Before opening, Tammy reached out to the New Growth Women’s Business Center, where she worked with business counselor Sydney Lee to take her dream from idea to plan. “Sydney worked at our pace, which was nice,” Tammy said. “She was so helpful, and the business planning software she introduced us to was amazing. It helped us see how all the pieces of the business fit together—from the pitch to the sales goals.”
For Tammy and her husband, who had never run a business before, that step-by-step guidance was a turning point. “We’ve both always been workers—factory and social work, not sales or business owners—so going through it all like that made a huge difference,” she said.
Through coaching sessions and planning tools, the Cramers learned how to test their business idea, think through costs, and prepare for opening day. But Tammy said what mattered just as much was the encouragement she received. “Sometimes you just need someone to remind you that you can do this,” she said. “That’s what New Growth did for us.”
The Women’s Business Center, one of New Growth’s core programs, provides free business counseling, credit building, and training opportunities for entrepreneurs across rural Missouri. For Tammy, that support helped transform something that once felt intimidating into something she could take pride in.
From Helping Others to Taking a Leap Herself
Starting a business wasn’t Tammy’s first experience helping others improve their lives. When she’s not serving pineapple whip, she works with Community Outreach Ministries (COM) in Bolivar, where she teaches Faith and Finance, a program on budgeting and money management.
Through her work at COM, Tammy was already familiar with New Growth Transit, another New Growth program that connects residents to essential appointments and work through free rides provided by a volunteer driver network. That partnership between COM and New Growth opened her eyes to how one small idea—like a transportation program or a local business—can ripple out to make big community impacts.
“I kept meeting people who had great ideas but didn’t think they could start a business,” she said. “And I realized—I was one of them. I was scared, too. But after seeing what’s possible, I knew I had to try.”
Sweet Dreams and Future Plans
Blended Blessings now offers several rotating flavors of pineapple whip—a smooth, dairy-free frozen dessert with a loyal following—but Tammy’s ideas don’t stop there. She’s already dreaming up new ways to grow, from festival appearances to creative flavor collaborations with other local small businesses.
For Tammy, the experience has been more than a business launch—it’s been a journey of confidence, community, and rediscovery. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” she said. “The team at New Growth helped me turn a dream into something real.”
Learn More
🍍See Blended Blessings Pineapple Whip truck most days outside COM on Springfield Avenue in Bolivar.
✨Also, Follow Blended Blessings on Facebook for updates on flavors and locations.
🌱 Learn more about New Growth’s small business support programs