The Pound Cake Company was started in 2003 after owner Jan Matthew-Hodges brought home the Blue Ribbon and Best of Show at the North Carolina State Fair for a pound cake she had been perfecting for over 10 years.

Jan started the company in her hometown of Benson, NC. Her company operates out the old Benson Elementary School cafeteria, which was redeveloped with help from the town of Benson and the North Carolina Rural Center, and transformed an abandoned building into a thriving economic center for the rural community. As a result, many residents of the nearby federally-subsidized housing project have found steady employment within walking distance of their home. For some, the Pound Cake company is their first job.

The Pound Cake company continues true to Jan’s initial goal, ‘To make products of the highest quality while at the same time creating jobs and opportunity in her hometown’!