This month marks 4 years since I started Pinch of Fancy so I wanted to give you our yearly update. Last March I made the decision to move my operations from my licensed residential kitchen to Hope and Main in Warren, RI. This is a commercial kitchen space for small food businesses to utilize for producing their products. This move allowed me to scale up production and opened doors for me to be eligible for markets that I previously was not. I was even able to participate in Harvest Day at The Big E in September which was by far the biggest event we’ve done to date.
The small re-brand that we did last year with new labels, merchandise and custom shelving units for wholesale customers was very well received and has brought about more locations that now carry Pinch of Fancy spices. You can now find our spices at Christopher’s in Fall River, Audrey’s in Swansea, Brightside Seafood in Narragansett, and all 3 Clement’s Marketplace in Bristol, Portsmouth, and Manomet. Our goal is to continue to get into more specialty markets this year, so keep your eyes open as to where we will pop up next.
Our website was completely overhauled and is now running at top speed and efficiency. We have created a much more user-friendly site that is easier to navigate. We updated our product photos and information as well as adding new recipes and blogs. Please take a look and let us know what you think. We would love it if you gave us some reviews on your favorite spice blends.
Last year I created 3 custom flavors for another local small business Kristi’s Kraftails, to make low salt, seasoned cashews. These have been a huge hit and they even won Best of RI in the snacks category. I am thrilled that Kristi won and I am currently working on 3 new flavors for her to launch this year. This project has been so much fun, I love creating new flavors and I can’t wait for people to try the new ones.
With everything else going on last year, we decided not to do any new flavors and just focus on taking 5 of the top selling trial flavors that were in pouches and move them to our retail ready tins and shakers. This brought our line up to 10 flavors and was very well received as well as being a huge selling point for picking up more wholesale accounts. We have already released 2 new flavors this year to the trial line pouches. If you haven’t tried them yet, pick up some Herbes de Provence and Cocula Valley Chili Rub to help inspire your meals. There will be more flavors coming this year so stay tuned.
All and all it was a very good year and I am feeling pretty positive about year 4. I have filled my schedule with lots of farmers markets this coming season. I have added a few new markets to the list as well as some festivals and other events. I am also doing custom orders as well as private cooking classes and spice blending workshops so, I would say we have a pretty full year.
Lastly, I just want to thank all of you for your continued support. I love what I do and I couldn’t do it without all of your support. Four years ago, I made the decision to walk away from all I knew and start something new. It has been the scariest and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done and I don’t regret it one bit.
Here to inspire,
Kristin
P.S. In honor of Spring finally arriving we are running a buy 2 get 1 free on all trial pouches and tins for the entire month of April. Head to our website to stock up and refresh your spices for the spring.
Have you seen the new T-shirts and hoodies available through our shop? Now, you can support Pinch of Fancy while shining a light on local farmers and their tireless efforts to ensure we have sustainable, healthy, and nutritious food. Help spread the word and inspire change in our food system.
Logo designed by local artist Emely “Em” Varosky
