Evelyn Brokish, a Sister of St. Francis of Assisi from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, began her professional career as musician-liturgist
in 1959. Since that time, she has ministered in Wisconsin, Illinois, Tennessee, South Carolina and Indiana. During those years,
Sister Evelyn participated in many fundraising events sponsored by churches, and she became aware of the need for new products
as fund raisers. She assured her pastor that with a little imagination, a new product could be created. The ChocoNutty TRIO™
became that new product. Within a short time, Poverello Delights,
a creative homemade candy-making business evolved.
Sister Evelyn is a natural when it comes to creativity, whether by
musical improvisation in song, at the keyboard, or in the kitchen with foods. At age six, she baked her first cake from scratch.
There were no cake-mixes as we find in the stores today. Creative cooking and baking were ordinary family occurrences.
Creativity
and imagination are just two of the many gifts that Sister has. Shortly after her choir members and cantors encouraged her
to sell the ChocoNutty TRIO™ commercially, Sister became aware of the Purdue Entrepreneurship Contest for Start-up Businesses.
With her eye on the prize of $25,000, she submitted an Executive Summary and a Full Business Plan. She was pleasantly surprised
to be chosen as one of the semi-finalists. While not winning a monetary prize, Sister Evelyn is the first to admit that she
learned a lot. The possibility of a business was ever-present. And Sister Evelyn knew the importance and value of pursuing
that idea for Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.
With
seed money from her family and her religious congregation, the business was born. Poverello Delights would be the name of this wholesale/retail business. St. Francis of Assisi was called the
poverello (little poor person) of Assisi. Sister Evelyn rented 2912 45th St. building in Highland, Ind. January
2006. The size and location seemed just right for a start-up candy business.
Today, this same building is filled with
activity. Several unique candies have been created, many of them with dried fruits and nuts. Every piece of candy is manufactured
and packaged at 2912 45th St.
Poverello Delights is sponsored by Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi. Proceeds support the sisters in their
work of continuing the mission of Jesus.
