Celebrating wins: Profile of Rosalyn Hyslop of Mrs. Dunster’s

Rosalyn Hyslop, co-owner and co-CEO of Mrs. Dunster’s with husband Blair Hyslop, is setting a strong example for women in the baking industry and encouraging young people to seek out opportunities.

Ten years ago Mrs. Dunster’s was a team of 50 employees, one 30,000-square-foot bakery, one retail store in Sussex, N.B., and a production team including Hyslop, her husband, a production manager and a sales manager. It has since grown to a team of 275 employees, a second 46,000-square-foot bakery in Moncton, N.B., four retail stores and an expanded leadership team.

Hyslop recognizes her upbringing played a pivotal role in forming her business mindset. 

Surrounded by her eight siblings and her family who come from strong Scottish roots, her mother’s advice has stuck with her throughout her life: “I’ve always believed in the saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ My mother raised us with that mindset.”

Her village includes the unwavering support of her friends and family, colleagues, employees, business peers, mentors and advisors, communities, suppliers, business partners and investors, and customers spanning more than 50 years.

Awards and rewards

Hyslop’s entrepreneurial work has been recognized through numerous awards over the years. She was named one of the Top 50 CEO’s in Atlantic Canada four times and in 2023 was named CEO of the Year by Atlantic Business Magazine.

In 2017, Mrs. Dunster’s was named Exporter of the Year for New Brunswick, received Food in Canada Magazine Leadership Award, and was named a finalist for 2017 EY Entrepreneur of the Year. She and Blair also were named Huddle’s 2017 Entrepreneurs of the Year. The busy entrepreneur even runs a charity called Good Fit Book, which received the Marilyn Trenholme Counsell Literacy Award. 

But by far, her most rewarding achievement turned out to be a full-circle moment.

The first business Hyslop ran was a Junior Achievement company in New Brunswick, a program in which students launch and run a small enterprise alongside volunteers from local businesses. Coincidentally, her husband Blair Hyslop, also an entrepreneur in the food industry, ran his first business at a Junior Achievement company, in Nova Scotia.

Hundreds of miles apart, they both struggled to figure out their purpose throughout high school. After high school, they both volunteered and were paired together to recruit students for Junior Achievement. 

Says Rosalyn, “Junior Achievement helped us find our purpose.”

Thirty-six years later, in October 2025, the Hyslops were inducted into the Junior Achievement New Brunswick Hall of Fame, alongside fellow mentors and business leaders they look up to. “It was like winning the Oscars for us,” Hyslop says.

Diving in

On the couple’s first date, they spoke about their aspirations of owning a business in New Brunswick or Atlantic Canada.

When approached with the offer to take on Mrs. Dunster’s in 2014, it was an easy decision. “We really felt like it was a great fit for us,” Hyslop says. “Mrs. Dunster’s just had so much potential, that we got really excited about it and knew that this was our opportunity.”

 The brand and its loyal customers supported the Hyslops in the new venture: “I think the community and the region [were] concerned that it was going to be sold and shut down,” she says. 

“[The] support from the community and region has always been there for us. We often feel like we’re just stewards of something that’s much bigger than us and we’re just getting it to the next level.”

Their minimal experience in the baking industry didn’t stop them: “Through that whole process we have learned so much in the past 10 years, and we certainly have appreciated all of that learning and experience,” she says.

Employing knowledgeable industry workers to their team was something they both saw value in. “We made sure we had people on our team that could fill in the gaps for us,” Hyslop says. “People that we’ve been privileged to work with.”

Their success has increased the volume of goods being made per year. They have two production operations, one in Sussex that makes about 50 million doughnuts and cookies a year; and one in Moncton that makes small batch pastry, 3,000 loaves of bread and 7,000 bread rolls per hour.

Pushing boundaries

Hyslop highlights the importance of letting challenges in the workplace impact her. “I don’t let it get me down or stop me from moving forward,” she says. “I just kind of push through.”

She sees the industry continuously changing, allowing more women to take on important roles.

Her team, whom she takes pride in, plays a major role in the business. “We’ve been very, very lucky to have an awesome team, and they do everything,” she says. “We’re just there to provide air cover, but they’re the ones that are running the place, so it’s awesome.” 

The Hyslops, who credit their team with helping them through the pandemic and unprecedented inflation, have focused on putting more care into new positions, such as accounting, human resources, quality control and maintenance. 

They have created a cultural mindset to encourage everyone that there are opportunities to grow within the company.

She also has taken the lessons she taught her children and implemented them into her work: “I used to encourage our kids to use their superpowers for good when they were being extremely clever in trying to get out of doing something. I’d tell them to imagine the positive change they could make if they used those smarts and energy for good,” she says. “Now we talk about ‘using your superpowers for good’ in the business and at speaking events and it’s a part of our company values statement.” 

Six years ago, after taking the scale-up program at the University of New Brunswick, Hyslop learned that celebrating your wins is key to a successful business. 

At the start of every meeting, she urges her team to celebrate their wins, big or small. 

“You have all the time to talk about the things that are going wrong, because you’re constantly problem solving, but take the time to celebrate the things that are going well.” 

Her team members are now always eager to share their wins. “It’s funny because at first it was very hard for everybody trying to come up with things, and now they fight to go first.”

The next batch

Hyslop credits her success to mentorships with knowledgeable entrepreneurs.

She encourages younger people to reach out to entrepreneurs, CEOs or people in business. “They love to help younger people,” she says. “Ask questions, ask for advice or find one person that would mentor you or coach you on a regular basis.”

Hyslop highlights the importance of opening yourself up to opportunities. 

“You just need to get out there and be in the world for opportunities to find you,” she says. “Follow the leads that come to you. Opportunities don’t necessarily come to you when you’re sitting at home wondering what you should do.”

“Just be confident and kind to others and yourself and always use your superpowers for good.”

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