PSU4PA: Penn State helps local company go national, improve lives

PSU4PA: Penn State helps local company go national, improve lives

If not for Penn State, says Jack Wheeler, he’d be the owner of "a nice little café in a nice small town." Instead, his gluten-free bakery enjoys nationwide sales — and the satisfaction that comes with improving the lives of others.

Wheeler, who owns the Café Too restaurant and #1 Gluten Free bakery in Sayre, Pa., credits Penn State with giving him the individual attention and advice that has made his business successful as it helps people stay healthy. That assistance includes helping Wheeler locate funding resources and develop “a very effective website” so he could take his business online.

Wheeler appreciates the contacts and sense of community he’s acquired through his association with Penn State. “That’s what business really is all about,” he says.

Wheeler is among a growing number of business owners who offer products specifically for those living with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, who comprise between 6 and 7 percent of the general population. Those who follow a gluten-free diet may experience relief from symptoms such as intestinal discomfort, fatigue and muscle cramps that they experience when eating foods containing gluten, a protein found in wheat.

Hear how Penn State helped turn this local Pennsylvania company into a national business at http://live.psu.edu/youtube/T8x8ZII4B4Y.

Penn State for PA (PSU4PA) tells the stories of Pennsylvania residents whose businesses, communities and lives have been transformed by Penn State teaching, research and service. For more firsthand accounts of Penn State’s positive impact on the Commonwealth, visit psu4pa.psu.edu, “like” the Facebook page at facebook.com/psu4pa and follow twitter.com/psu4pa.