Mankato Made

MANKATOMADE

Christine Lantinen

At age 31, Christine (Cooney) Lantinen ’98 took a leap of faith. The Le Center, Minn., native had just been laid off from her job as sales and marketing director at Minnetonkabased food gift company, Bay Island.

“On a Friday, the owner brought me in and said he couldn’t aff ord my salary and let me go,” she says. What could have been a devastating blow turned out to be the start of a sweet success story. Throughout her time at Bay Island, and previously working for Target Corporation, Lantinen had developed a strong network and a solid understanding of what it takes to run a business. She saw an opportunity in the food gifting space for high-end food gifts from a recognizable brand.

She knew the owners of St. Paul candy company Maud Borup through her work at Bay Island and decided to make them an off er. “We met for coff ee that Saturday morning and they were in the process of closing the stores. I said, ‘I would love to buy this great brand.’” And that’s exactly what Lantinen did. Just days after losing her job, she struck up an arrangement with the previous owners where they would come in as 30 percent partners to start. That was in 2005. Within two years Lantinen bought them out and has been the sole owner of Maud Borup ever since.

Lantinen transitioned Maud Borup from its retail candy roots to a 100 percent wholesale operation, now based out of Le Center. She sells products directly to retailers like Target, Whole Foods and CVS. Since Lantinen took the helm, Maud Borup has seen 20 percent organic growth each year and is on track to do $30 million in sales in 2021.

“I feel like in life you always have these crossroads,” says Lantinen. “Me being let go from Bay Island was the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me. That was a kick in the butt [I needed] to do my own thing.”

Lantinen is a farmer’s daughter from Le Center. During high school, she took some post-secondary education option classes at Minnesota State Mankato. She joined the army and attended basic training the summer before high school graduation to help defer the cost of her education.

roughout her college career, Lantinen worked up to 44 hours per week at various stores in the River Hills Mall. Her early experience in retail management gave her opportunities to practice what she was learning in real time.

Lantinen is the sole owner of Maud Borup, but the company’s Le Center plant is truly a family operation. In the rst year, Lantinen’s family friend pledged a piece of farmland against her $700,000 loan to get production up and running. And Lantinen’s mom, who lives in Le Center, opened the plant and got it up to food safety standards.

Lantinen didn’t arrive at Minnesota State Mankato with her eyes on a business degree. She had completed a military training program as a medic the summer a er high school graduation, so nursing felt like a good t. “I wasn’t doing well in the nursing program, so I did [the] testing on campus that tells you what areas you are strongest in.” She got high marks in marketing and switched to a double major in Marketing and Mass Communication. She ended up graduating with honors.

When not working or in class, Lantinen would frequent hotspots like the Albatross and Boom Town. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Minnesota State Mankato. I got the most out of not only academics, but also the social side. at was just as important for me because of those great relationships I made throughout school.”

For the last two years, Lantinen has served as a judge for the College of Business’ annual Big Ideas Challenge. “It’s been really neat to see this whole department that’s grown around entrepreneurship, which didn’t exist when I went to school.” Minnesota State Mankato runs in the family. Lantinen’s parents met in the dorms and fell in love on campus. Both her brother and sister also attended Minnesota State Mankato.

“My majors ended up being very aligned with starting and running a business, not only having the business side, but the marketing and public relations side made me realize early on it’s more than just selling a great product, it’s how you’re showing up in the market, and how you’re positioning yourself. … All of that plays a major role in building a brand and building your product line.”

WOMAN OWNED AND OPERATED

Many Minnesotans have fond memories of seeing Maud Borup chocolates at weddings or in candy cases throughout the Twin Cities. Borup started her company out of her St. Paul home in 1907—before women had the right to vote—and quickly established her brand as the go-to high- end candy company in the region.

While Lantinen doesn’t produce Maud Borup’s original recipes, she has always been drawn to Borup’s story and the spirit behind her company. As a woman owner in manufacturing, Lantinen aims to carry on Borup’s legacy and do her name justice.

Between corporate operations in Plymouth and the Le Center plant, about 80 percent of Maud Borup employees are women.

“We love hiring women, we love promoting women,” she says. “This is who we are, and I’m super proud of that.”