From the monthly archives: "June 2013"

First Production Run!

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There she is……

Our very first sample case of the Chocolate-Hazelnut spread – fresh off our very first production run! It is hard to describe the feelings that run through your head as you hold that jar in your hand for the very first time. Well, technically, it is not the first time. We have had tons of samples that we have looked at, analyzed, inhaled, sniffed, tested, tasted with burrowed eyebrows, with ecstatic smiles and all expressions in between. This is different though….

THIS is the culmination of everything we have aspired for over the last year and a half. It is the final result of those midnight blender concoctions, endless recipe iterations, failed test runs, logo revisions, heck even a trip to Kansas city is in there somewhere (which did yield good BBQ, just not chocolate spread). Every detail in/on that jar – from the quality of the ingredients to the color gradation of the cocoa pods in the logo to the banter on the label has been obsessed over. All those moments lead up to this - right here. At the risk of sounding overly clichéd (yes, I know it is just a chocolate spread) It is a true labor of love!

We did not stop till we got the recipe to exactly how we had envisioned it from day one and we got very lucky in that we found the right people to partner with, who had the patience to put up with our persnickety selves. We honestly cannot wait to share it with, well, YOU! And truly hope you enjoy it as much as we do. We will be sure to keep you updated as we roll it out across stores online and otherwise. Watch this space….Here we go……!!!

New Beginnings

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I am 39.5 weeks pregnant with our second child, I have not seen my toes in a while and concurrently we are working to get ourselves “ready” to finally launch our chocolate spreads into stores across the north-east for the very first time in about 6 weeks time. Barefoot and Chocolate, ironically enough sounds more appropriate than ever to describe my state of mind these days.

As I waddle around trying to keep up with my almost 3-year-old son, I can’t help but think of the similarities between bringing new life into the world and launching a new business. They are both your “baby” that you nurture and help grow, little by little. There is a giddy sense of excitement in the air, some anxiety and an overall sense of eager anticipation. Despite all the unknowns that lie ahead, you tell yourself - “We are a go for launch!”. There are mistakes that will inevitably be made, there are lessons to be learned, there will be setbacks to overcome and milestones to be celebrated. Yet, it is a giant leap of faith that things will all work out somehow (ok some of those pollyanna notions could be attributed to pregnancy hormones)

There is also an incredible sense of déjà vu in all of this. I find myself, much like I did, 15 years ago – bright-eyed and bushy tailed - coming to America for the very first time as a 17 year old student, about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime. And while I am no longer 17 and bright eyes seem unlikely given the impending sleep deprivation – I am still raring to go…

So here is to burning the midnight oil, bottle warmers, excel spreadsheets, burp cloths, warehouses, distribution and pallet sizes, watching the sun rise, enjoying your morning coffee with warm crusty bread slathered with scrumptious chocolate spreads. Here is to new beginnings….

The Hobbit (of the chocolate world)

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Starting a food venture is much like the journey of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. You start eyed wide-eyed and filled with anticipation of the great things to come, you know your journey is going to be long (but how long you have no idea!), you know its going to be tough at times. You see the mountain drawn on a map, you know you will have to climb it someday in the future, but how you will climb it, how you will overcome the obstacles that turn up along the path, how you will even get yourself to the mountain you have no idea.

They say a journey of 1000 miles starts with just a single step, the first step can be a hard one, but they do get easier after that. Here we are about 18 months after we took that initial step. We had a few wrong turns and dead ends along our way (learning opportunities). But we are now at the base of the mountain we saw on the map some time ago. It has been an up and down adventure getting this far, but a true adventure none the less. We would not be where we are now without a lot of help from a few smart and kind food industry people that gave us some direction when we needed it. The next task is to begin climbing (getting our product into stores). We will be in specialty/natural food stores sometime in July. Where exactly that will be is both in the works and a little bit undetermined. But we do have a map…and that mountain looks real close on the map now. Now should I take that right or left path.hmm?

- Taste Happy my friends