Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Horn and Nikki Wethy.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2013, we decided we needed a change of pace. We were living in McKinney at the time and it was starting to get crowded. We ended up finding the perfect spot in Sherman, TX on 10 acres. It was quiet and big enough to have some livestock and build a nice sized garden. We moved in, bought five goats, four chickens, a guard dog (Great Pyrenees) and a John Deere Tractor.
We were all set. Farm life was great. Room to do whatever we wanted, fresh air, big garden with lots of veggies and room to throw some great get-togethers. We are total foodies and love to have friends over for some fun, maybe a bonfire and of course some great food. We always talked about opening a bakery or some kind of shop to share our creations with everyone. So we decided to try our luck starting out at the Sherman Farmers Market. It was great. The people were friendly and we got to meet and talk to so many people in our own community. We tried a couple of fairs, an additional farmers market in Van Alstyne and slowly built a following. We started out with flavored and infused caramel sauces and innovated into caramel popcorn and some other treats like pecan brittle, homemade marshmallows and homemade hot cocoa mix as summer turned into fall. Christmas got a little crazy when we started selling Hot Cocoa Bombs with the homemade marshmallows and homemade hot cocoa mix. Today, we are preparing for our second market season, with more innovation that are currently top secret but hoping our customers will enjoy them as much as they have our other products so far.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There are always bumps in the road. You will always have products that don’t do as well as you would have hoped or people that have their own opinions of you or your business model. There is a reason everyone doesn’t have their own business. It’s hard work. It’s late hours, early mornings and lots of sacrifices. It’s using your own money to get it off the ground in the hopes of it taking off. My advice for other women is to make sure you have a good support network. Friends and family that believe in what you are trying to do. They will left you up and help make you successful.
We’d love to hear more about Sugar Stax.
We make lots of things with lots of sugar and cater to your sweet tooth. LOL Infused and flavored caramel sauces for your ice cream, Homemade Caramel Popcorn, peanut and pecan brittle, cinnamon roasted nuts, homemade marshmallows and more recently Hot Cocoa bombs with hot cocoa mix and marshmallows and mocha bombs with a non-dairy flavored creamer inside.
I would say, as of late, our most popular products are the hot cocoa bombs and the mocha bombs, followed by out caramel popcorn. I am most proud of how our innovation. We have gone from one main product, the caramel sauce, and expanded to include so many other treats that people have enjoyed. I think what sets us apart is our focus on quality. We want to make sure if you are spending your hard-earned money on our products you enjoy them enough to come back again.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
I would say the area we chose to work in is female-dominated. Which makes it harder to set yourself apart. Female leadership is very important for younger girls to see, but it does not come easily. If you follow female sports, equal pay is still a very real conversation. As is harassment in and out of the workplace. I was in the Navy 20+ years ago when integration of women into combat roles started. There were and still are stereotypes. She’s not strong enough, she’s too emotional or irrational, driven women are just b**tches while driven men are go-getters. We heard all the excuses during the last election on why a female shouldn’t be president. None of which are true, but all are barriers none-the-less. We run a 10 acre farm with 22 goats and five dogs, we have a side business that we enjoy, careers that are stressful at times and we manage to juggle it all. We are all about female empowerment. Seeing females succeeding in their chosen fields is very important as a society and we love to see them push through all the crap and make it when all the odds were against them.
Pricing:
- We try to keep our pricing affordable with most of it being between $2-4
- Hot Cocoa bombs and Mocha bombs are a little more expensive just due to cost of additional ingredients between $3-10
Contact Info:
- Email: sugarstax@yahoo.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/sugarstaxcaramels
Image Credit:
Melanie Horn, Nikki Wethy
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