Joyebells is a family-owned pie company founded by Joye B. Moore in 2019. The company specializes in sweet potato, peach, pumpkin, and apple pies, all crafted from family recipes that have been passed down for six generations. The recipes originated with Joye B. Moore’s great-great-great-grandmother, Susan Mae Howell, and have been preserved and refined by generations of family bakers. Moore is the first in her family to turn these traditional recipes into a business.
Joye B. Moore’s journey to entrepreneurship was shaped by resilience and determination. She experienced homelessness as a teenager after fleeing an abusive home and lived in abandoned houses in South Dallas, Texas. Despite these hardships, she maintained her education and graduated high school on time with a 3.79 GPA. She credits the South Dallas YMCA’s after-school program for providing the support and stability that helped her succeed.
Before launching Joyebells, Moore spent 30 years in executive and administrative management. She worked in nonprofit communications and development, focusing on creating access to quality out-of-school learning opportunities for students in Richmond Public Schools. After her position was eliminated in 2019 due to restructuring, she decided to pursue her long-held dream of selling her family’s pies. Seven family members joined her, moving into her two-bedroom apartment to support the business as it got off the ground.
Joyebells debuted with its signature sweet potato pie, which quickly gained popularity. Initially producing 150 pies per month, the company expanded when Food Lion began stocking the pies in 45 stores, leading to sales of 900 pies per week. The product line expanded to include peach, pumpkin, and apple pies, maintaining the company’s commitment to traditional Southern baking. By 2022, Joyebells had sold 2.8 million pies and continued to grow its national presence.
The company has received multiple awards and recognitions. In 2023, Joyebells’ peach pie won Best Pie in the Country at the National Pie Championships, beating competitors such as Sara Lee. Moore was named Entrepreneur of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region by Ernst & Young in the same year. Joyebells has also been featured on the TODAY Show and in Southern Living Magazine, Virginia Living Magazine, and The Washington Post.
In addition to running a successful business, Moore remains committed to community impact through Joyebells Charities. The organization focuses on mental health wellness, child abuse prevention, teen homelessness prevention, and access to quality out-of-school learning opportunities. Ten percent of the sales from her memoir, “Hopefully Beautiful,” are donated to support these causes. The memoir recounts her experiences growing up with a mother who had an untreated mental illness and her journey through homelessness to entrepreneurship.
Joyebells continues to expand its reach and remains dedicated to preserving family traditions while making high-quality, Southern-style pies accessible to a wider audience. Moore’s vision is not just about selling pies but also about creating opportunities, supporting community initiatives, and building generational wealth for her family.
