Mark Elvidge with Vermont Nut Free Chocolates

The Forrager Podcast for Cottage Food Businesses

Mark Elvidge and his wife Gail started their business, Vermont Nut Free Chocolates, back in 1998. At the time, they were the very first U.S. chocolate company to be completely nut-free. They also chose to focus solely on e-commerce at a time when selling food online was very uncommon.

Back then, Vermont was one of the only states that had a cottage food law, and they ran their small business from home for the first year and a half. They quickly grew and moved into a commercial facility, and they’ve expanded into larger facilities 4 times since then!

Vermont Nut Free Chocolates are sold in over 1,000 stores and shipped worldwide. Their current factory and storefront is in Colchester, VT, and they have over 3 dozen employees.

In this episode, Mark shares their unique journey of growing a small cottage food business into an international brand.

What You’ll Learn

• How their son’s allergy led them to starting a hugely successful business
• The importance of perseverance in turning a small idea into a global brand
• The value of hyper-focusing on a target market, which can drive organic traffic and sustain business growth
• How to overcome a geographically dispersed audience by using online marketing strategies
• The importance of product quality and customer trust in building and maintaining a loyal customer base
• The value of direct consumer interaction to understand and cater to their needs
• That continuous learning and adaptability are key to managing and growing a business
• When to start focusing on Google Ads and Amazon
• Pricing considerations at any stage of business
• How to balance automation and handcrafting as you scale up
• How to stay relevant to customers and consistently grow every year
• The importance of having a “why” in your business
• What it’s like to run a food business that reaches a large scale
• That positive media exposure can play a significant role in business growth, even years after the fact

Resources

Vermont Nut Free Chocolates website (Facebook | Instagram)

Mark’s LinkedIn profile

Vermont Nut Free Chocolates on Amazon

New York Times Wirecutter Article

Vermont Cottage Food Law

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Get full show notes and transcript here: https://forrager.com/podcast/112