Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Tobolowsky and Karleen Kusin.
Julie and Karleen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We’ve been making chocolate sauces as gifts since the 1980s when our now grown children were in school. The sauces were so popular with the kids’ teachers that we began getting calls from old teachers, friends and even family asking to buy our sauces. Before we knew it, we were selling the sauces out of our homes. In 2010 we finally took the plunge and created our business to formally start selling our chocolate sauces.
Eventually, we had so many requests that we had to rent commercial kitchen space to keep up with the demand. We didn’t start making cookies until 2012, and it happened by accident. We were entertaining for a party where everything had to be miniature, and we knew we had something when people couldn’t stop eating the tiny cookies that we’d made. Eventually, our operation got so big that we moved into a 2,000 square foot commercial kitchen space, where we are today, and started building out our team.
About a year ago, on the advice of one of Karleen’s sons, we started selling our MICROCHIP® cookies and gift sets on Amazon, and we experienced a big surge in awareness of our brand. Since we started selling on Amazon, our revenue has increased by 10%. Our products are exclusively available on Amazon and Dallas store location or from our website, and we’ve relied on the Amazon fulfillment network to pick, pack, and ship product for us. This has been a huge boon to our bottom line because it makes our products Prime eligible, appealing to the millions of Amazon Prime members out there.
Our goal is to be a household name in every home in America, and in order to do that, we have to have continued growth. For us, Amazon is a big part of that expansion plan because selling on Amazon allows us to reach people all over the country while still maintaining our Dallas DNA. Dallas will always be home, but it’s a wonderful feeling knowing that our cookies are bringing smiles to people thousands of miles away.
Has it been a smooth road?
Learning how to handle and plan for growth was difficult. There were years when we grew so fast that we couldn’t keep up from an operations standpoint. We weren’t ready when it happened, so there was a steep learning curve that we had to overcome. It’s been a few years now, and we know how to plan for growth and handle it when it comes.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the JK Chocolate story. Tell us more about the business.
JK Chocolate is a homegrown gourmet food business here in Dallas that we started in 2010 in our kitchens. Today, we make and sell six flavors of chocolate sauces and fifteen flavors of our world-famous MICROCHIP® cookies – the world’s tiniest cookie! The chocolate sauces are what got us started, but our MICROCHIP® cookies are what we’re really known for these days.
They are tiny morsels packed with flavor that come in beautiful packaging with a ribbon and a cute label, and they make wonderful gifts (especially during the holidays!). All of our products are handmade in small batches at our West Lovers Lane location, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that we’ve been able to grow our little bakery business in part thanks to selling our MICROCHIP® cookies on Amazon!
Our products appeal to people because they are unique and offer a touch of whimsy in a delightful little package. The chocolate sauces are rich, decadent, and fudgy, and our MICROCHIP® cookies are unlike anything you’ve ever tried. It’s nearly impossible not to smile when you pop a handful in your mouth!
We pride ourselves on being a women-owned and run a small business, and we approach everything that we do as if we were baking in our homes for our family and friends. Our team is made up of about 50 incredible employees, many of whom have been with us since the beginning and who wear a lot of different hats to ensure that our products bring a smile to the faces of each and every customer we serve.
We both grew up with fabulous bakers in our lives, and we’ve always loved being in the kitchen. As we got older, we developed relationships with people who influenced us in business, and we realized we could merge our passions for business and baking. What a thrill to bring the two together!
Pricing:
- 3.5 oz Classic Tin for 18.49 https://www.amazon.com/Tiniest-Irresistible-Chocolate-Cookies-Favorite/dp/B076D41ZCP/ref=sr_1_1?m=A3200YEK9FL2IM&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1543870506&sr=1-1
- 6 oz Round Tin for 31.49 https://www.amazon.com/Tiniest-Irresistible-Chocolate-Cookies-Favorite/dp/B076D4J5V2/ref=sr_1_4?m=A3200YEK9FL2IM&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1543870506&sr=1-4
- 5 oz Jar in Gift Box 24.99 https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Tiniest-Irresistible-Chocolate-Cookies/dp/B01MD1CZS7/ref=sr_1_3?m=A3200YEK9FL2IM&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1543870506&sr=1-3
Contact Info:
- Address: 4710 W Lovers Lane Dallas TX 75209
- Website: https://jkchocolate.com/
- Phone: (214) 350-0427
- Email: INFO@JKCHOCOLATE.COM
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jk_chocolate/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JKChocolate/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
