Sterling Heights mom turns art into a biz, A'peeling Fruit

Pam Pfropper's path through adulthood took a number of fairly typical turns. The Sterling Heights woman worked as a technical illustrator in the automotive industry for a decade before becoming a stay-at-home-mom to raise her two children.

Not long after that is when Pfropper started to take a road less traveled. She started a business, a fruit-carving business. A'peeling Fruit carves small pieces of art out of large pieces of produce, such as watermelon or carrots, and sells them to event organizers and other businesses looking to bring a bit of artistic flair to the table.

"I have always had an interest in food and gardening," Pfropper says. "It kind of progressed from there."

Pfropper noticed not many people were doing fruit carving, so she entered a couple of contests. One was a national competition that earned her an invitation to take her carving skills to the White House.

"I thought I might have something here," Pfropper says.

Not long after, Pfropper turned A’peeling Fruit into her full-time job. Her business allows her to work from home creating her pieces of art while her children are away at school.

"It fits in well with my lifestyle," Pfropper says.

Source: Pam Pfropper, owner & artist of A'peeling Fruit
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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