Mightylicious Founder Carolyn Haeler tells us why she left J.P. Morgan to start one of America’s great gluten free brands
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GUEST BLOG: Carolyn Haeler, Founder MIGHTYLICIOUS Gluten Free Foods
When people are diagnosed with celiac disease, they often talk about everything they have to give up. Bread. Birthday cake. Pizza night. Grandma's cookies.
Family traditions suddenly become complicated, and grocery shopping can feel overwhelming.
For me, the diagnosis certainly changed my life—but it also gave me a purpose I never expected.
Today, I’m the founder of Mightylicious Gluten Free, an award-winning brand whose cookies and baking mixes are sold in 43 states.
But my journey didn't begin in a bakery. It began with months of unexplained illness, a career in finance, and one disappointing cookie that changed everything.
A Diagnosis That Changed Everything
I had always loved food. Long before I became an entrepreneur, I was the person who baked for birthdays, holidays, family gatherings, and just because. Baking wasn't simply a hobby—it was how I expressed love.
Then, in 2012, at the age of 31, I was diagnosed with celiac disease after enduring nine difficult months of illness.
Like many people newly diagnosed, I had to completely rethink my relationship with food.
I immersed myself in learning about nutrition, functional ingredients, and what it truly meant to live gluten free. While healing physically was a relief, emotionally I struggled with another reality.
The gluten-free products available at the time simply didn't taste very good.
The cookies were often dry or stale. Cakes were dense. Muffins crumbled apart. Many products I tried had gritty textures or lingering earthy aftertastes that made them feel like substitutes instead of treats.
What saddened me most wasn't just my own experience. I thought about every child blowing out birthday candles on a gluten-free cake that didn't taste like everyone else's.
I thought about newly diagnosed families trying to create traditions around food that never quite measured up. I believed people living gluten free deserved better.
The Cookie That Started a Company
Mightylicious Gluten-Free Cookie Variety Bundle – Vegan Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin & Oatmeal Coconut – Non-GMO, Kosher, Allergen-Friendly, Dairy-Free Options, Preservative-Free (3 x 6.5 oz)
In 2017, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home from work and picked up a package of gluten-free cookies. I opened the box in the car, took a bite—and immediately threw the rest away.
That moment became the turning point in my career. Instead of complaining about the state of gluten-free baking, I decided to do something about it. I left my successful position in finance at J.P. Morgan and devoted myself full-time to creating the cookie I wished existed.
For four months, I baked up to 15 hours a day.
Batch after batch.
Recipe after recipe.
Failure after failure.
Until I finally uncovered what I believe was the real problem with gluten-free baking.
It Was Never Just About the Recipe
Most people assume great baking starts with a great recipe. I discovered it starts with the flour.
Many gluten-free baked goods rely heavily on rice flour because it's neutral in flavor. The problem is that much of the rice flour available commercially is milled for cooking—not baking. The particles aren't fine enough to absorb moisture properly, often producing cookies and cakes with dry, sandy textures.
Other gluten-free flours, such as sorghum, garbanzo bean, and amaranth, solve some texture issues but introduce strong flavors that can overpower delicate baked goods. Rather than accepting those compromises, I went directly to the mill.
Working to source rice flour milled specifically for baking, I developed an innovative gluten-free flour blend designed to mimic how traditional wheat flour behaves. The result was a cookie that delivered the texture, flavor, and indulgence people had been missing.
For families living gluten free, that difference matters. Because dessert shouldn't be something you tolerate. It should be something you genuinely look forward to.
Family Recipes Never Go Out of Style
One of my biggest tests came in 2020 when Whole Foods Market asked me to develop a vegan, gluten-free cookie. At first, I wasn't sure it could be done. Then I remembered my grandmother's century-old oatmeal coconut cookie recipe.
Using my proprietary flour blend and making thoughtful adjustments for vegan ingredients, I recreated a beloved family recipe for a new generation of gluten-free consumers.
The Vegan Oatmeal Coconut cookie quickly became Mightylicious' best-selling flavor—a reminder that innovation and tradition don't have to compete. Sometimes they make each other even better.
Growing Beyond Cookies
Mightylicious Gluten-Free Baking Bundle – Chocolate Brownie Mix, All-Purpose Flour & Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies – Plant-Based, Non-GMO, Kosher, Allergen-Friendly (3-Pack)
Mightylicious officially launched in 2017 and, within just six months, landed on the shelves of Whole Foods Market's Northeast stores.
Growth continued quickly.
In 2021, the company raised $5 million through the crowdfunding platform Republic, becoming the first female LGBTQ+ founder to achieve that fundraising milestone on the platform.
Today, Mightylicious products are available nationwide, and the company has expanded beyond cookies to include gluten-free flour blends and a brownie mix, giving home bakers the same tools I developed through years of trial and error.
The brand has also earned national recognition, including Good Housekeeping's Best Snacks awards in both 2025 and 2026.
Despite that success, Mightylicious remains a founder-led company, and I continue to oversee the business I built from scratch.
More Than a Cookie
For families living with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, finding products that taste great isn't simply about convenience.
Food is part of every celebration. It's birthday parties. Holiday traditions. School lunches. Weekend baking with kids.
It's the memories we create around the table. I understand that because I have lived it myself.
My mission was never just to make another gluten-free cookie. It was to ensure that no one felt they were settling simply because they couldn't eat gluten.
That's a goal many gluten-free families can appreciate. After all, living gluten free shouldn't mean giving up life's sweetest moments.
It should simply mean enjoying them differently— and often far more deliciously than ever before.
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