From the People That Trusted God with A Beautiful Seed

Working for such a mission-minded company, with such deep mission-minded owners, you wonder “How did it all begin? And what keeps you going?” Hearing from the owners, Jennie and Jonathan Groff, about how it all began and their why for the business was an encouragement to read. Any interaction you have with them is a blessing which leaves you feeling inspired and blessed!

Why choose to sell Stroopwafels in Lancaster city? 

In 2008, friends of ours had the idea of making Dutch Stroopwafels, a yummy European treat, in order to provide meaningful employment for our refugee friends in Lancaster City. Hearing the idea was intriguing since Jonathan’s family grew up making homemade chocolates for decades! We didn’t know all the details of how it would work, but we were willing to dream and trust God for the growth and impact we were hoping to have. Jump ahead 2 years, and we are now the owners of Stroopies. We continued to see God provide us with a space, refugee friends to try and help us make the product, machinery to make it, and in time this ‘idea’ started becoming a reality. 

After several years of selling Stroopies to larger cities, markets, and friend’s stands, in 2016 we were provided with a brick and mortar shop in Lancaster City- the Lancaster Sweet Shoppe! It was an answer to prayer as it was easily walkable for our employees, and it provided a fresh, warm Stroopie smell in the middle of a city surrounded by cornfields. Because Lancaster City is known for its history of welcoming all people, launching the Stroopie business felt like the perfect fit! Having our family live so close to the shop has been a blessing to not only us but to those we are able to minister to around the area.

We are grateful to our friends, Ed & Dan, for having this creative idea, to God for giving us the wisdom to know how to help the beautiful seed of an idea grow, and to Lancaster City for embracing us, Stroopies, and the amazing women on our team from around the world whose new home is Lancaster!

When did your heart for refugees begin and what draws you to ministering to them?

Jonathan and I both grew up in families and churches who welcomed refugees coming from around the world to their new home in Lancaster! I guess you could say this idea of welcome is in our DNA as well as within Lancaster soil with both of our families' generations coming here as refugees. In our young adult years, God stirred our hearts to consider what life would look like if we would intentionally position ourselves to live in a neighborhood different from the one we grew up in. This opened up doors in 1999 to remodel a condemned crack house on the corner of Manor and Filbert Streets in Lancaster City and turn it into a prayer house. Living and raising our kids in this Lancaster City neighborhood for the last 25 years has shaped us in many profound ways, and we have learned so much from our very diverse neighborhood who have loved us well. I like to refer to our neighborhood as our "people garden" where it has been a privilege to have the nations of the world as our neighbors. 

Although refugees have always been welcomed in Lancaster, in 2008, we noticed that a lot of resettled refugees started pouring into our rental units we were rehabbing for affordable housing. We also started noticing, especially for the moms, that it was harder to get out there, learn the language, and find community in their new home. I, in particular, as a young mom at the time, was intrigued how the workplace could become a community if we planned well and made space for it! To see Stroopies become a nurturing space for resettled refugee women whose new home is Lancaster has been a dream come true! These women are full of gratitude, resilience, courage, and truly are my heroes. It is my deepest privilege to have them as teammates and friends!

How has it changed you guys as being business owners caring for a group of refugee women? How have they impacted you? 

While I have my associates degree on paper, I have really gotten my college degree, maybe even my doctorate, in having the privilege of a lifetime developing Stroopies, Inc. with my husband, Jonathan. As previously mentioned, each and every woman on our team is my hero! I try every day to learn from my team and understand what their secret sauce is. They have endured so much hardship, including many being separated from their extended families and have every reason to be bitter. Yet, they show up every day, ready to work hard with joy, and make the most of the opportunities they and their families now have. They share what they have without reserve and have helped us shape the culture and community at Stroopies.

A favorite memory of mine comes from early on during a lunch break. I got ready to eat the boring peanut butter and jelly sandwich I had made, and it was clear what we brought for lunch that day would be shared, even if it was boring and not exciting. I remember they took my boring peanut butter jelly sandwich, cut it up, and put it out on the table to share. To this day, what is brought for lunch is shared with each other, and it is a perfect picture to me of the culture at Stroopies- you belong at the table, and what you bring will be valued and celebrated! The women challenge me to think about how we each can holistically thrive as we share what we each have in our hands.

What is your favorite part about the company? 

I have always carried a heart for business! To see the engine of this for profit social enterprise business be able to work and create this opportunity for the women on my team is really beautiful and something that I treasure.

What would you love to see happen in the next 5 years for Stroopies?

I would love to take what we now have in our hands, providing work for 23 women in Lancaster City, and scale and grow it to provide more opportunities for the 75 resettled refugee women on our waiting list. I spend a lot of time dreaming and praying about how that could happen, and although not all the details are clear, we do know we are to continue growing out our product catalog and work at launching our products to more retailers across the US. No matter what, we want to be faithful to nurture what we currently have in our hands, trusting that multiplication can happen even in ways we were not anticipating!

We are excited for what the Lord has in store for Stroopies while also grateful in how He has been constantly providing for our needs now as He sees fit! This team and these people bring a joy and an awareness of the bigger world we are a part of. Though we come from all parts of the country and world, we come together to serve one purpose.

Would you be in prayer with us as we seek to expand this place to provide more kingdom work in an already thriving community?


Day in the Life

It’s a beautiful morning in Lancaster City.

You walk through the doors greeted with not only smells of warmth and cinnamon, but also the sweet smiles of a family of hardworking women. The array of diverse music being played over the speakers and various conversation in each woman’s native language is a joy to listen to!

People are already busy at work preparing fresh stroopwafels, melting chocolate, filling boxes, and fulfilling orders. The list of things to do are an ongoing variety of tasks, and each one is done with joy. Sometimes you may be adding labels to a bag. Other times you may be bagging crumbles for customers who look forward to an extra fun ice cream topping. Each job is important, and each person pours 100% into what she does. Each product is made with love and intention. We are here to serve our community whether locally or across the country.

While stroopwafels may be our main attraction, our homemade ice cream and freshly roasted coffee also brings another layer of energy in the room. Both are prepared with a lot of precision and given quality attention.

When we break for lunch, we set up family style: all the food in the middle of the table with place settings all around ready to share and enjoy. No one walks away hungry!

English classes continue throughout the day with joy-filled teachers sharing their hearts with each employee. The learning and laughter emanates the room!

Each day is a gift. It is another opportunity to love your neighbor. It is another opportunity to bring happiness to at least one more person. It is another opportunity to expand your learning and experience life from someone else’s perspective.

We are grateful to be on this team together and serve you with genuine gladness!

Service with a Smile

Warm cinnamon drifting in the air.
Fresh stroopwafels being baked as guests walk by.
The constant murmur of, “Oh, what is that smell?” followed with happy smiles and excitement.

These are the reactions seen and heard when Stroopies caters an event. The endless joy of guests as they experience the fullness of a fresh warm stroopwafel paired with our homemade ice cream. The type of dessert which will leave you wanting more. A little taste of warmth and home.

Sometimes it is the smallest of gestures which brings the sweetest of memories. Something as simple as a bowl of dessert offered to a happy wedding guest and waiting to see the reaction is completely worth it. A conversation with a stranger carried with a smile and joyful presence goes a long way. Making people feel seen and cared for not only adds value to them, but also continues to have a domino effect on others.

Small acts of kindness.
Asking, “How are you today?”
Lending a helping hand.

These are all simple yet loving ways to care for the community around us.

Our Home in Lancaster City

National Refugee Week: June 17-23, 2024
"Our Home"

Serving at Restore: Habitat for Humanity

When asked to define Home, what comes to mind? Is it a physical place? A state of being? Maybe it brings warm nostalgic memories. For others, it may bring the opposite. Home holds different values for everyone.

“You can have more than one home. You can carry your roots with you, and decide where they grow.”
— Henning Mankell

Some describe home simply as a place you reside and live. Home can also be people you love and the feeling you get when you are around them. At the end of the day, Home brings about love and protection.

In honor of National Refugee Week, we wanted to take a moment to share the love and gratitude of the women here at Stroopies. We exist in order to bring meaningful employment to resettled refugee women here in Lancaster City. The mission behind the word “meaningful” holds its value in how they not only learn English at work, but they also are gaining a community of women to learn from and grow with. We desire work to not simply be a place to clock in and clock out, but rather an environment where learning and appreciation takes place each day

It is a blessing to see the joy emanating from everyone’s faces as we learn about life and culture from each other. There is much to gain by sitting across from someone with a different upbringing. One of the biggest culture enjoyments is partaking in food from various parts of the world. Each day, our potluck style lunch consists of dishes brought from home where each woman brings in something to share with everyone ranging from Pizza to Baba Ghanoush to Spicy Ramen Noodles. We’re grateful for the opportunity to sit and discuss home life while enjoying a delicious meal together!

We are continuously grateful for the impact these women have had on each of our lives!

June 20th is World Refugee Day!

Stroopies exists to provide safe and meaningful employment for resettled refugee women in Lancaster, PA!

World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe. It falls each year on the 20th of June and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. 

What is the theme of World Refugee Day 2023?

This year, World Refugee Day focuses on the power of inclusion and solutions for refugees. 

Hope away from Home. A world where refugees are always included.

Including refugees in the communities where they have found safety after fleeing conflict and persecution is the most effective way to support them in restarting their lives and enable them to contribute to the countries hosting them.

We took another fieldtrip!

Did you know that a part of the benefits package that Stroopies’ employees receive is paid fieldtrips? We desire for our workplace environment to feel like a healthy community, and part of that is doing things (outside of work) that build additional connection.

We were so grateful for the opportunity to serve together. We went to the Food Pantry at Mission Church and for a few hours we filled boxes for those in need within the community. After that, we each were able to fill a box for ourselves. It was a joy and laughter filled day together.

Dreaming in 2023...

Have you ever felt like you have ideas that are half baked? Dreams that you hope can bloom to be even more fruitful? Currently we have a waiting list of resettled refugee women who would like to be on our team at Stroopies, Inc.. How can we expand what we are doing at Stroopies, Inc. so that we can have more opportunities for these women and their families? These are the questions that I hold as I look to 2023 and beyond.

If you ever have ideas for us that could help us expand into more opportunities for the women on our waiting list…please reach out. I would love to sit and have coffee with you. Currently, 16 beautiful resettled refugee women whose new home is Lancaster make approx. 15,000 Stroopies a week at our working center on Vine St., and our brick and mortar store at the Lancaster Sweet Shoppe. How can we provide more opportunity for the growing list of women on our waiting list, while maintaining a work atmosphere of welcome, nurture & community. My e-mail is: stroopies@frontier.com. I would love to hear from you…because we all know that it “takes a village”. Stroopies is a piece of the funnel of provision and care…but we are not the whole funnel! I have hopeful expectation that new doors are going to open up for our team at Stroopies in 2023…and ultimately new opportunities will open for the women who are waiting!

Warmly,

Jennie

The geese are encouraging us here at Stroopies!

Recently, a friend shared with me some cool things about geese that have been spurring us on during this crazy holiday season at Stroopies! Geese our communal…they tackle things together and when the leader in the front gets tired in the flying formation, it just knows to fall back into the pack, and let another come up to the front to take the lead. Geese are known to “honk” to encourage each other when they just need an extra nudge to keep going. Also, in the Celtic tradition the Holy Spirit is represented not as a peaceful dove but instead as a “Wild Goose.” The Wild Goose reveals a Spirit which is courageous, noisy, and passionate. This symbol reminds us that God’s Spirit cannot be contained or tamed. Sometimes, on this journey with Stroopies (especially during the holidays) we wonder if we are just on a “wild goose chase”…and have lost our minds! :) Stroopies was founded to provide meaningful employment for resettled refugee women, to be a safe place for women to start over in their new home. We love this part of what we do, and it grounds us. Our current reality at Stroopies is that we do approximately 50% of our business in the last six weeks of the year. This past weekend we were set up at six different remote locations spreading holiday cheer and selling lots of Stroopies for holiday gifts!!! When we are really busy during the holidays, we need people to “honk” and encourage us! We need to “honk” at each other and spur each other on to keep going. We also desperately need the Holy Spirit, our Wild Goose Leader to nourish and encourage our spirits. The last several nights when my husband and I have been laying down to sleep, flocks of geese have been flying above our skylights, honking away. Their honks have been a reminder that we are not alone and that there is a “heavenly team Stroopie” working on our behalf as well! So, my friends, be encouraged by the geese and the lessons that they have to teach us…and keep “honking.” Your “honks” are spurring us on!!!