South Carolina Business Review

Mother and son company finds success with peppers

By Mike Switzer

Published June 11, 2025 at 6:30 AM EDT

Ways To Subscribe

Cookie Buffkin and Phil Buffkin, founders of MAS Peppers in Walterboro, SC.

Two years ago, our next guests launched a sauce and rub business that has garnered a pair of industry awards that has helped them grow their business in a very competitive field. Mike Switzer interviews Phil Buffkin and Cookie Buffkin, founders of MAS Peppers in Walterboro, SC.

Tags

Mike Switzer

After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.

See stories by Mike Switzer