From Parisian Pastries to US Sweet Success: The Journey of Macaron Queen, America’s Leading Macaron Makers

Macaron Queen is the reigning service to deliver delicious, guilt-free, authentic French macarons in a variety of flavors including French raspberry, strawberry shortcake, red velvet, and creme brûlée (to name a few) to customers and businesses nationwide. Its rise to dessert royalty comes from the tumultuous story of the Macaron Queen’s mother-daughter founding duo. From the sugar and spice of Paris’ legendary patisseries to the industrial landscape of the USA, Finia Jahangard and Nina Gann have made their name as the leading mass producers of macarons in the country.

Finia Jahangard began her journey in the best place on earth to be crowned the Macaron Queen: Paris, France. She and her daughter— and co-founder of Macaron Queen— Nina Gann fell in love with these flaky French gems but noticed that the macaron culture in Paris was one of reverence. Pastry boutiques and their patrons alike saw the confection as an indulgence only to be yielded to on the most special occasions, and their prices reflected it. So, the pair saw an opportunity to make macarons enjoyable for everyone and began a fledgling Macaron Queen.

Finia focused on perfecting the recipe of this pristinely balanced manner of taste and texture. While she had always been an accomplished pastry chef, macarons are especially difficult to master— finding their sweet spot in the whipping and baking stages has driven home-bakers mad for ages. However, she had one advantage during the research and development process: her Iranian heritage. Although the modern sandwich-style macaron originated from a French pâtissier in 1930, its almond-based delectability comes from the ancient Arab and Persian world. So, Finia was well-versed in the intricate chemistries of flour, syrup, and nuts.

She arrived at the ideal batch of macarons, ones that surpassed the standards of French boutiques as she ensured they were gluten-free and healthier than other macarons. When the pair returned to Atlanta, Georgia in 2012 and opened a dessert cart in the busiest mall in the city, Macaron Queen became one of the world’s first macaron kiosks to ever exist— the first being located in its homeland in the Charles-de-Gaulle Airport.

Macaron Queen grew to cult status in Atlanta with their colorful array of delicious and affordable treats. Then, in 2017, Finia suffered cardiac events that led to heart surgery. Following this daunting time in their lives, Nina stepped up to the task and assumed her responsibilities as the CEO of Macaron Queen, managing to keep the business soaring above the waterline. In 2019, they were invited onto the reality series The Profit, whose premise is to offer investment to businesses to help them succeed. “That’s really where the company took a turn,” recalls Nina.

Their appearance on The Profit was the point of no return for Macaron Queen. The pair decided to go all in on automating their manufacturing process. While macarons could be perfected in small batches— with some difficulty— the real challenge lies in mass production. Even the best copacking manufacturers thought that baking any large number of macarons was an inefficient, uneconomical, and wasteful process.

Moreover, Macaron Queen was in the process of making a name for itself in the USA, where there is no established macaron market alongside the extremely established industry titans of other dessert industries. The majority of the largest corporations in the American sweets world have origins over a century old.

Since macarons require novel baking times and processes, Macaron Queen had a steep climb before reaching a sizable market share of the industry. But, dedicated to its growing customer base, the company was committed to Finia’s original recipe, made with love and the best ingredients around. “When automation became an inevitability, we decided that we are going to do this right,” Nina says, “There would be no cut corners, our macarons would be made of the healthiest ingredients of only the highest quality. We had to, for the sake of our clients.”

So, Nina Gann’s business acumen from her success in the French fashion business and Finia’s expertise as a lawyer and pastry chef came together for the company’s future as the largest macaron manufacturer in the USA. What made them sure of their eventual success, despite the hardships they faced before even entering the market, was their loyal customer base. “Even when we operated at a loss, we held strong in our resolve because it was always so clear to us that consumers had been looking for us,” Nina explains.

Along with finding the right machinery and partnering with the right investors, Macaron Queen found its place among confectionary giants because of the tight-knit team that works to ensure its success. “My mother knows the science of macarons, my expertise is in international business. Everyone on our team knows their stuff,” Nina says, “When you surround yourself with qualified, dedicated people, you’ll go far.” Every member of the company has had their hand in the first process— producing a macaron— to understand how each team works with each other to create their handfuls of delight.

Today, Macaron Queen creates 17,000 flawless macarons a day in their 50,000 sq ft facility. As the only mass manufacturer of macarons on this side of the pond, Macaron Queen supplies in-store bakeries and small businesses, with plans to expand into the private label and retail space. From processing almond flour to the final label, Macaron Queen has built a dream team to propel its sweet success. Nina explains, “Our team has received the highest quality of training, although their work may be departmentalized, their coordination renders a perfectly crafted macaron. When you build a staff that understands and looks forward to producing quality macarons, you know you’ve done it right.” And the journey is far from over, Macaron Queen has huge plans for the future, not only on a national level but on a global scale.