Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/654717
Focusing Close to Home for Inspiration Rather than look to Europe's influence, Cooper focused on the bounty in her own backyard. California was her muse, both because of the diversity of what was harvested and what was on the plate in emerging farm-to-table restaurants. She also slipped in Mexican influences, infusing smoky and spicy chilies where it made sense. "I worked from sunup to late after sundown," Cooper recalls, admitting she tends to be a workaholic. By the fall, she had settled on four sure-fire products to launch: Red Bell Pepper & Ancho Chili Jam, Pineapple Sake Teriyaki Marinade, Banana Rum Pineapple Jam, and Strawberry Blueberry Jam. Local retailers immediately agreed to carry them. Cooper was able to quit her sales rep job by 1999 and put all of her energy into Earth & Vine. That happened to be the year the savory, mildly spicy Red Bell Pepper & Ancho Chili Jam took home the sofi Award (then called Product Award) for Outstanding Jam, Spread, Preserve, or Sweet Topping. It continues to be Earth & Vine's No. 1 bestseller, topping everything from a bagel with cream cheese to meatloaf to melted brie. "I thought of it as an appetizer when I developed it, but I love how customers are always telling us different ways they use it," she says. Despite how quickly her brand took off, Cooper didn't let it go to her head. "Winning the sofi was validation for what we were doing, but I don't think you ever know you're going to be okay. If you get complacent, that's when you start to fail." Scaling up production went fairly smoothly. Her husband proved handy, from building their house and figuring out refrigera- tion issues to moving forklifts loaded with food pallets. He knew when to upgrade equipment before they got backed up with orders. By manufacturing everything themselves, they could test products and roll out new f lavors and expand production without cutting corners. From the pizza parlor, they moved into a 2,000 square-foot facility and then to a 5,000 square-foot space and finally, in 2003, to a 10,000 square-foot space in Lincoln, California. The brand is sold at more than 2,000 stores, shops, and wine tasting rooms, mostly in the United States and also in Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Thousands more buy from Earth & Vine's website, which recently relaunched to enable more direct- to-consumer business. A Careful Approach to Trends Cooper assiduously watches trends but doesn't necessarily follow them. "Kale is still hot, but kale in everything is going to trend down," she predicts. "I stay ahead of the curve by encouraging people to use our honey pear vinaigrette on kale or any salad." She also sees bacon- flavored items and the Sriracha craze dying out and prefers to stick with classic blends that her customers will keep buying for years. "I'm not afraid to launch new products that are ahead of the pack but need to proceed cautiously if something is not main- stream," she says. "Instead of making a teriyaki sauce in five f lavors to see what sticks I take the time to make sure one teriyaki f lavor is well-balanced and fantastic." A few years ago, Cooper noticed another vacuum, this time in the cocktail mixer category. The brands she sampled were too sugary and watery. She went about experimentation in a way that goes against the grain of typical research and development, she says. "I put quality and heart and soul into a product and then I look at what it costs to make." Earth & Vine's cocktail mixers, which have Rather than look to Europe's infuence, Cooper focused on the bounty in her own backyard. California was her muse, both because of the diversity of what was harvested and what was on the plate in emerging farm-to-table restaurants. She also slipped in Mexican infuences, infusing smoky and spicy chilies where it made sense. SPRING 2016 69 TRESSA COOPER Age: 52 Years in specialty food: 27 Favorite food: Salad Least favorite food: White bread Last thing I ate and loved: Fresh sliced apples and peanut butter If I weren't in the food business I'd be: Inventing things One piece of advice I'd give to a new food business: Be prepared to work very hard, night and day. Live, sleep, and breathe your business or you won't be successful.