Fink's Thinks
The ups and downs of making an artisan food startup.
This blog is going to be all over the place. From how I first started this company, to talking about the day-to-day, to showcasing foods or recipes, I hope to highlight the process of starting a food business and maybe you'll find some connection no matter what community you're in.
Now, let's see if I can bridge the gap between 2018, when I first got the idea to start a fermented foods business, to today in March of 2022.
Christmas of 2017, my mom got me a one-gallon fermentation tank. The process fascinated me. Food becomes other food! I started to expand my kraut-making abilities and created the first recipe for artisan kraut. I left the bucket of kraut for a month. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I opened it up. It turned out to be this delicious sour, flavorful wonderfulness. I was immediately hooked.
At the time, I worked several jobs that were mostly making phone calls so my mind would constantly wander back to making sauerkraut and if it was possible to turn this into a business. I posted a Kickstarter and got the business off the ground. I do have to give a shout-out to the friends and family who have donated to raise money over the years.
There’s a question that entrepreneurs get asked often: Do you think it was luck or talent? My answer, undoubtedly luck and then grabbing that luck and knowing when to strangle the hell out of that luck to juice it for all its worth. (To mix a few metaphors.)
I beta-tested this business in San Diego at one farmer’s market and one co-op. Then, when my wife and I moved to Portland, I knew this was going to be home for this business and for us.
There are many steps along the way I’ve glossed over but that will give us room for more blog posts. :)
Stay tuned. For more ramblings. And enjoy.
So now what?
Keep your eyes peeled, I'll try to post at least once a week with anything from processes to recipes to behind the scenes of running the business.
If this interests you, go pop on and consider grabbing a sauerkraut or a pickle. That is the end result all of this effort. Sort of like the tip of the entrepreneurial iceberg.