A Sweet Success

Beloved Cheesecake founder Jen Jacobson-Brusa

"It started with a gift," says Beloved Cheesecake founder Jen Jacobson-Brusa. She and her husband, Makai Brusa, are currently giving a tour of their fun, brightly colored Canby location.

Today, she's an upbeat and increasingly successful businesswoman. Still, not so long ago, Jen was a woman working to rebuild her life. After escaping a toxic marriage, she worked as a waitress while earning a degree in social work. She participated in a food-sharing program called Gleaners of Clackamas County to make ends meet. The nonprofit strives to reduce hunger and end food waste. One of their initiatives involved redistributing fresh food to its members. That was how Jen ended up the owner of a flat of fresh blackberries.

Suddenly, the hobby baker was struck with an idea. Why not make a few blackberry cheesecakes for the teachers at her children's school?

"I'd never made a blackberry cheesecake before," she says. "I didn't know how to take it off the pan. I had to YouTube it. I didn't know if it was done or how it tasted because you can't cut

into the cheesecake to try it. I gave it to my kids' school the day before Christmas break and the next day, when I went to pick up my boys, the secretary said, 'Jen, where did you buy the cheesecake?' And I said, 'Well, I made it.' And she said, 'Get out of here, that's the best cheesecake we've ever had!" Inspired, Jen began giving out cheesecakes as Christmas gifts. Less than a month later, her first paying customers contacted her on Facebook. A few weeks after that, Jen donated a cheesecake to a school auction; it brought in $250. In the years since her donated cheesecakes have continued to be gobbled up for increasingly impressive numbers, she continued donating One recently went for $2000.

That may sound like a lot for a cheesecake, but all it takes is one bite to understand why one reviewer once called the award-winning dessert a "divine creation from heaven."

On the strength of a large order and a Kickstarter campaign, Jen was able to fund the original Beloved Cheesecake location in Silverton. From there, they expanded into a more prominent location in Albany. Today, they have two brick-and-mortar locations, nationwide distribution, placement in restaurants from Vermont to Las Vegas, and a freshly-minted deal with upscale grocery chain Zupan's.

"We call it slinging cheesecake," says Makai. "Our goal is to be the best cheesecake in America and we're well on our way." For both of Beloved Cheesecake's owners, growth feels like an opportunity to repay the good fortune they've already experienced. "I want to be a really good employer first," says Jen. "I have a really good team, and I want to provide really well for our team members."

Indeed, it seems Jen and Makai hope to provide for as many people as possible. That urge to do good things is apparent to anyone who visits one of their locations. The walls are plastered with motivational slogans that range from the aspirational ("Be Brave") to the whimsical ("Calories don't count on the weekend"). A visit to Beloved Cheesecake is also about taking time to soak up your surroundings and connect with your community.

"I'm all about relationships," Jen explains. "If you look on every table, there are conversation starters, and it's a highlight to me when you see people put down their phone and talk to each other."

Beloved Cheesecake's slogan - Because everyone deserves to be loved — is as much a philosophy as a clever play on words. The team at Beloved Cheesecake is committed to building a sweeter, more charitable world, one dessert at a time.