Chicago Police Officer Paralyzed While on Duty Finds Success with a Food Company
When life hands you lemons, you make…applesauce? At least that’s what Jim Mullen is doing. He is turning an old adage on its head by building a successful business and inspiring others to share his vision of what you can achieve despite setbacks.
Jim’s story is remarkable, but we’ll let him tell his own story. “My name is Jim Mullen. On October 16th, 1996, my life changed in a major way. I was a Chicago police officer in the Rogers Park neighborhood and one night, I was shot in the cheek and spine while on duty. I was instantly paralyzed and dependent on a respirator to breathe. In that moment my life changed forever. I was in the ICU at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for 2 months and spent 4 months at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago before returning home.”
Despite being bound to a wheelchair, Jim had an idea. He would build a business around his beloved mother’s recipe for applesauce. And what an applesauce it is. Fans rave that it is like “apple pie without the crust.” Jim’s mom was a self-taught chef who cooked everything from scratch while working full-time as an executive secretary for the president of Appleton Electric. Every meal at home was homemade. Applesauce wasn’t store-bought; it lived in reused Miracle Whip jars in the fridge.
In the beginning, Officer Mullen’s applesauce was only available in small stores in Chicago and a few other places in the Midwest. Today, it is sold in nearly 2,000 stores across 15 states from New York to Wyoming. It is on the shelves of small neighborhood grocery stores and of retail giants like Jewel, Menards, Meijer, and even some Wal-Marts. It is also sold online directly through the Mullen’s Applesauce Website. A portion of all profits from this brand goes toward supporting first responder and veteran charities.
Mullen’s Applesauce earns enthusiastic praise from consumers. Here’s just a small sampling of what some of them have to say:
“The best applesauce I have ever had. It is a bite of apple pie in every bite. So happy that Jim Mullen an injured Chicago Police Officer and neighbor has found his path.”
“Mullen’s Applesauce is unquestionably the best!”
“Retired cop here: Not only the best, but the only applesauce I’ll ever buy.”
“Jim, your applesauce is the best! We love the family history.”
“I have had this product, and it is amazing.”
“Great applesauce! My favorite.”
“The best applesauce out there, hands down! Just like grandma’s apple pie… so good and one heck of a company.”
We will let Jim have the final words: “My new reality inspired a passion in me for proving to everyone that life is what you make out of it. Ever since that day [I was shot], I’ve remembered that life is precious and dreams are worth chasing.”
