2014 Year in Review, The Chocolate Saga
2014 was crazy. Crazy all over the place. We had some crazy good times, crazy bad times, and somehow I think we’re all okay. –let me check– toes, fingers, smile– yep, I think we’re okay!
Thank You Chocolate Fiends–er–Friends!
First and foremost, we must say thank you. Thank YOU!
We are a company that serves the public’s taste, and you endear us with smiles, stories, ideas, and so much more. So again, Thank You.
The Chocolate Nucleus
Our foundation is built by Bill Dietz, who had a tough year being the bedrock of the company. His sheer determination and never-back-down spirit kept us afloat when we were stretched thinnest. Saying thanks is not enough, but I hope you’ll give him a wave or smile next time you see him. He is the true engine of our little company.
Robin Ciordia has worn many hats and worked tirelessly for us in various capacities. Without her, we wouldn’t have the business we have. She’s been integral in planning and executing business development, rolling up her sleeves to make anything in our product line, and managing employees, interns, and family (oh how she handles us!). She’s humble enough to load up a car full of cakes and toffee and be our delivery person. Oh—and she’s also a parent!
Karen Dietz, the grandmother to everyone, takes your orders, thoughts, and cares, returning smiles and stories. She’s truly blossomed into our shipping director, handling nearly all the prep and shipping for our various sales channels online.
On top of that foundation, we have to give thanks to those who have worked with us:
- Abby Wells, a rising rockstar in many ways, has become indispensable in keeping things moving forward and brings quick smiles and levity when the pressure is on.
- Jamie Adams, a global phenom, storyteller, and friend to all. She’s speedy in our middle of house and a joy to customers in the front. Oh, and she rocks some brownie pops.
- Lell Trogdon helped us launch our first cafe placement years ago and our new location. A coffee and culinary wizardess, she got us set up properly and is now teaching her own classes and recently published a book on her small business trials.
- Theresa Hemingway joined us recently and has been a joy to work with. She has a knack for acquiring knowledge and then spinning it back to us in new thoughts, techniques, sales, and more.
Interns & Volunteers
From culinary institutions to our humble call-to-arms in our busy seasons, we greatly appreciate those who share their time with us.
- Alyson
- Laura
- Sharee
- Kailyn
- Emily
- Nicolette
- Melissa
- Mariah & Millie
- Jane
- Daniel
- Rick & Page
- Ray
- Tristan
- Tamela
We keep everyone busy and well-fed with chocolate. Their help makes it possible to get everything done.
Business Lessons for 2014
What a year. We entered 2014 with great planning, mighty goals, and plans that were quickly thrashed about. If the universe wanted to teach us some lessons, we were certainly apt to listen and learn.
- Mother Nature always wins: February froze us out, and we lost our Valentine’s sales (roughly 30% of the year... amazing!).
- Situations change radically, strategies and tactics must stay agile: We had plans, and when they irreversibly went awry, it took us some time to find a new path forward. Like a sea captain caught in a storm, we were constantly seeking safe harbor, dodging high seas and reefs.
- Loans may save you but sink you later: Taking on debt can fix a short-term problem but create a lot of drag later that causes cash-flow issues.
- For insurance sake, understand your business pipeline: Catastrophic insurance will require you to know many things about how your business profits and the costs at each stage's potential loss. If one link in the chain falters, what will that mean to your cash-flow in 7, 30, 60+ days?
Chocolate, Confectionery, & Cakes
With our ongoing transparency, these numbers quantify our world. They are an approximation since there are multiple sales channels, and the data can sometimes be too obscure to tally. Regardless, for us internally, it is the sum of effort, creation, and that which we labor. Comparing to last year, we’re still growing, and that’s what counts!
- 37,000 Chocolate Truffles (1,100 lbs)
-
1,210 lbs of Toffee (19,000 oz)
- 7,000 Bon Bons
- 8,000 Caramels
- 750 lbs of Chocolate Barks
- 2,900 Enrobed Brownies, 750 Brownie Pops
- 80 Cakes, 300 Cake Slices, 300 Cake-in-a-Jars, 170 Chocolate Oblivion Tortes
- 900 Coconut Macaroons
- 750 Chocolate Dipped Graham Crackers
- 1,400 Marshmallows
- 1,800 Chocolate Solids/Shapes/Lollies (120 lbs)
- 750 American Artisanal Chocolate Bars
- 1,100 Coffees/Cappuccinos/Lattes
- 200 Hot Chocolates / Sipping Chocolates
2014 Awards
Recognition always does your soul good. We were happy recipients of multiple awards this year, thanks to our patrons and editors keeping their eye on us. We’ll keep on pushing quality and hope for more in 2015!
- Elevate Lifestyle, Best Chocolate Heaven
- Charlotte Magazine Best of Best (BOB) Award, Fancy Chocolate
- Charlotte Observer Readers Choice Award
- Time Warner Small Business Big Impact Award
- TasteTV Chocolate Awards
- White Chocolate Cardamom Crunch Bark
- White Chocolate Toffee
- Sea Salt Toffee
A Look Ahead, 2015
We have so much cooking that it’s hard to gauge what is coming. We’re trying to grow while stabilizing where we are, bringing on more people to help with the efforts, and finding our way further into sales channels. We also have several new products to finalize, which we hope will find homes in more happy bellies.
We’re always inspired by you all, so if you have thoughts for us or our growth, let us know, and please pass us along to those who don’t know us. We love meeting new people!