Why it bears watching: New England Soup Factory sells about 200 gallons of soup a day in summer months and 300 gallons a day in winter companywide, serving about 400 to 500 customers daily in each location. Customers are loyal and visit often. “They count on us during snowstorms,” Druker says.

Relationships are important, and Druker enjoys picking out soups to match her customers’ tastes. She says she usually hits the mark—even with first-timers.

Eighty-five percent of the business is takeout, and 10 to 12 gallons of soup go home every day in family or party sizes. Druker understands the home meal replacement market from her days as Boston Market’s first head chef. Her food is wholesome and nostalgic, a perfect take-home for busy moms, college students, and the many people she meets who are in town for medical treatment.

To further cultivate those markets, Druker is working with a manufacturer who is now able to prepare 22 of her recipes. She wants to become a national brand with franchises and a retail line. She plans to begin by offering packaged soups in her stores soon.

“There isn’t a specific growth plan just yet,” Druker says. “My husband and I have a strong culinary background and understand what makes this business successful. We just need to find the right group, that we find a comfort level with, to help us grow.”