More than a decade after Val and Breezy Griffith developed SkinnyDipped’s first product in their home kitchen, the mother-daughter founders returned to a familiar formula for their new Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Wafers: make it, share it with family and friends, listen and keep refining.

The pair tested at least 10 recipes before agreeing on the final version, which reimagines the classic wafer with less sugar without losing its indulgence.

While SkinnyDipped now has over 20 products ranging from thinly-dipped nuts to Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites, more resources and retail reach — the brand can be found in 30,000+ stores nationwide including Target, Walmart, Amazon and more — as well as celebrity fans that include Brooks Nader, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian and more, Val and Breezy’s process remains personal.

The kitchen still gets the first vote and a product does not move forward until they genuinely love it.

Congrats on the wafers launch! Tell us about the process of creating a new product.

Val: Thank you! It usually begins with a craving or a conversation about something we love but wish was made differently. Then we get into the kitchen and start pulling it apart: What is essential to the experience? Where is the unnecessary sweetness? What creates the texture or that immediate desire for another bite? What’s missing?

Breezy: From there, the idea has to survive several tests. It needs to taste incredible, meet our ingredient standards, feel unmistakably SkinnyDipped and work in real-world production.

Better-for-you options remain limited in traditional confections. How did you create a lower-sugar wafer without losing the indulgence people expect?

Val: We never begin by asking how much we can remove. We ask what makes the product delicious and how to deliver that experience more thoughtfully. With the wafers, the contrast was essential: delicate, crispy layers; creamy peanut butter; and enough real dark chocolate to make every bite feel indulgent.

SkinnyDipped began with the two of you experimenting in your home kitchen. What do you remember most about those early days?

Val: I remember the energy around our kitchen table. We had no formal product-development process, so we learned by doing. We kept trying different chocolates, almonds and techniques until we made something we loved enough to keep reaching for.

What are the greatest advantages of building a company together as a mother and daughter?

Breezy: We know we are always on the same team. Even when we disagree, there is a level of trust between us that allows us to be completely honest, have the difficult conversations and move forward. We also understand each other’s strengths, so we know when to lead and when to step back and trust the other person.

Val: Building SkinnyDipped together has allowed us to know one another in an entirely new way. I’ve watched Breezy grow into an incredible leader, and she has learned to see me as more than just her mom.

What advice would you give other parents and children considering going into business together?

Val: Make sure you like one another in addition to loving one another. Love may bring you together, but liking, respect and a sense of humor will carry you through the difficult days. Be willing to see your child—or your parent—as a full business partner rather than keeping them frozen in the family role they have always occupied.

Breezy: Have the uncomfortable conversations early. Define responsibilities, be candid about money and decision-making, and do not assume that being family eliminates the need for structure. It makes structure even more important. Then protect parts of the relationship that have nothing to do with work. The company should add another dimension to your bond, not consume the entire thing.

What is the biggest challenge in growing the company while protecting the personal, hands-on spirit that made people connect with it?

Val: The challenge is making sure efficiency doesn’t sand away all the personality. As a company grows, there are more systems, meetings and layers between an idea and the person eating it. We work hard to keep food, people and transparency at the center of the process.

There are so many celebrity fans of SkinnyDipped—Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Brooks Nader and many more. How were they introduced to the brand?

Breezy: There hasn’t been one single route, which is part of what makes it so fun. Some have discovered us through friends, gifting and events, while others have simply found the products where they shop. SkinnyDipped is widely available, so celebrities often encounter it the same way everyone else does.

Val: No matter how well-known the person is, our reaction is usually the same: “They love it!” That never gets old.

When you look ahead five years, what do you hope SkinnyDipped will become?

Breezy: I want SkinnyDipped to become one of the defining modern confection brands, a company that proves you can build at real scale while using less sugar, real ingredients and an entirely different playbook from traditional candy.

What do you each hope your personal legacy within SkinnyDipped will be?

Val: I want people to feel that our products were created by people who cared about the food, about one another and about the wider world. Through our partnership with the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, we are supporting women in South Sudan as they build businesses to create greater stability for their families and communities.

On a more local scale, through our SkinnyDipped Female Founder Fund, we are empowering the next generation of women entrepreneurs in the food space with real funding and hands-on mentorship. I hope SkinnyDipped proves that a company can grow, succeed and bring other women along with it.

Breezy: I hope mine is that I helped turn a deeply personal idea into something much bigger than us without stripping away what made it personal. I also hope other women see our story and understand that they do not need a perfect résumé, perfect timing or permission to build something ambitious.