Ketty Berton is an accomplished business professional who has been in the banking industry for over 35 years with TD Bank.
Over the span of her distinguished career, Ketty has developed a very diversified scope of talent, mapping out a career that saw her gain experience performing and leading within several very different areas of the corporation.
While her career has been spent entirely in the corporate sector, her vast knowledge provides a very valuable asset as she embarks into this entrepreneurial venture as a Founder of Mulberry’s Oven.
Over time, Ketty has become a great communicator and relationship builder, a problem-solver, and someone who has gained a reputation as a person that executes well and delivers on time. These qualities have proven to be invaluable in the quest to take Mulberry’s to the next level.
Even though she was born in Canada, Ketty has stayed very close to her deep Italian roots. Having spent every summer with her grandparents in Italy, Ketty's upbringing has been surrounded with a passion for great food.
Not only has she enjoyed tasting many traditional Italian culinary customs, but Ketty has been fascinated by the knowledge that she has acquired about the ingredients, technique, and combinations that result in a fabulous Italian meal.
Ketty has embraced her desire to create and has become a life-long learner as she constantly strives to find the ‘perfect’ taste!
As a corporate professional, did you ever see yourself owing your own business?
“I always dreamt of owning my own business. I have been in the corporate sector for over 35 years; it has been very good to me and in turn, I have given a lot of myself to it. That said, one day I will move on from that life. This gives me something to build that I am passionate about.
I have always planned on creating and building something to call my own…to run it my way, holding the responsibility for its’ success, putting all of my passion and heart into the business, and feeling the satisfaction of a ‘job well done’ at the end of the day.
We have so many plans for Mulberry’s and we’re just getting started. That excites me a lot! ”
Coming from an Italian background, is that where your passion for food comes from?
“Yes it is! My mom and dad were typical Italian parents who made everything from scratch and it was always so delicious. While I have never been much into baking, I have had such a love and passion for great food that not only tastes amazing, but is made with the very best ingredients.
I only wanted to build a small food company if it was going to be done the right way! We are not doing this to build a company around quantity and mass production – that doesn’t interest me. What we have built Mulberry’s around is all about the quality and the satisfaction that our customers have.”
After running the business for a year, what has been the biggest surprise to you?
“Oh my goodness…the number of hours and preparation that it takes to put on an event is FAR more than I had ever anticipated!
We are so blessed to have a small, mighty team that is willing to help us with that preparation. We can only take on more events and build the company if we have a strong team to support us. We are so fortunate to have good people who we look at as part of our family.”
You must have a vision for what you want to accomplish with Mulberry’s. What is it?
“One thing that we said from the very beginning is that expanding - scaling up, if you will – is not in our plans. Not at all!
We bought the business because we wanted to connect with people. We think that we can do that best by having one location that is our foundation - our home base! This allows us to build a relationship with our customers, with local businesses that we are partnering with, and with the team that we are building.
Our connection with people is the reason that I wanted us to be in this business.”
What is your favourite part about owning your own business?
“ There are a couple of things that stand out for me.
First, I just love how much fun we have interacting with our customers. We have the very best people that support what we are doing! Sometimes when we get lined up, I will look over and see people – little kids, parents, couples – tapping their feet, singing, or dancing to the music that we have on our playlist. I am very much a ‘people girl’! It is so fun interacting with good people!
I know that I am a partner in a company and I need to ‘roll up my sleeve’s’ to do things that a business owner has to do. I like that responsibility. I have been someone in my career who doesn’t want to let anyone down, whether that be my teammates or our customers.
Our team is small, but we count on each other and I like that we all make a difference!”
