Once upon a craving, in an All America City not too far from the frothy, aromatic espresso of downtown Garner*, a cookie was born. And the hands that crafted this cookie? Well, they belong to the heroine of our story…Denise Nowell.
Denise is a special kind of person, someone you naturally gravitate toward and immediately feel comfortable around. Her origins explain a lot of how that came about, but there’s something else, an inkling you can’t put your finger on, that gives her a quality that seems a trite elusive. Sometimes if the light catches it just right, it kind of resembles a glint of pixie dust. And (this can’t be confirmed, but…) that might just be our secret ingredient.
Reared in the Philippines during her formative years, Denise has experienced the world differently from most of us sitting here nibbling on our Togamays (which we naturally do in any retelling of a great story). Upon moving back to the States when she was 19 and being mentored during that time, Denise began to understand the value of investing in others and seeing them flourish. This time in her life deeply influenced her worldview today; as a Third Culture Kid (3CK), experiencing a culture different from her parents’ or her own nationality during her developmental years transformed the way Denise lived and experienced the world. The importance of sustainably sourcing each ingredient to support struggling communities everywhere, from farms in her backyard to across oceans, is just one instance of how she hopes to improve the world around us.
Obtaining her BS from High Point University and IOM Certification from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Denise spent 12 years in the Economic Development space helping businesses and communities through local Chambers of Commerce in Winston-Salem, Garner, and Zebulon. She also became an active member of FCCI, a national peer group of business leaders.
It was while working with the Chamber to support businesses and help them become sustainable that she was inspired to start her own business and took the leap to found Togamay. From there, well, we all know the rest of that delicious story.
Denise and her husband, Stan, now call Zebulon home. Together they enjoy biking, hiking, camping and traveling, and are active members at Providence Church in Raleigh.
*Visit our friend’s incredible coffee shop next time you’re in town! Full Bloom Coffee Roasters
Call us: 919.307.9726
Email us: info@togamay.com
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Togamay, LLC was established in 2012 as a gourmet gifting and favor company dedicated to bringing you the best, most natural ingredients with a mindful eye toward recyclable packaging and sustainable sourcing. Our cookies are thoughtfully crafted using clean ingredients that we curate locally and internationally to deliver the highest quality. You won’t find anything hydrogenated or artificial in any of our offerings. We specialize in large orders for corporate appreciation gifts, wedding favors, and any event in between. Based in the Raleigh area, we ship throughout the United States and Canada, and look forward to expanding into new areas later this year.