Community Highlights: Meet Dina Khattab and Chelsea Montgomery of Benci Grazing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dina Khattab and Chelsea Montgomery.

Hi Dina and Chelsea, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
We’re childhood best friends, inseparable since our diaper days. Over the years, we’ve embarked on countless adventures together, making the leap into business partners feel like the most natural step. Our shared passion for cheese, charcuterie, and wine traces back to our cozy apartment on Via dei Benci in Florence, Italy, circa 2015, which inspired the name for our venture. We spent our time in Florence studying the art of pairing food & wine and Italian culinary arts. When the pandemic hit, we realized there was a growing need for sending gifts and treats to loved ones from afar. Thus, Benci was born. Our business quickly took off, and soon, we were deep in the catering & events space doing grazing boards, boxes, and tables. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We’re incredibly grateful for where we are now with Benci, but it hasn’t been an easy road by any means. While every step has been a fun adventure, we’ve encountered our fair share of struggles along the way. 

In the beginning, we were fortunate to experience a large influx of customers and orders. However, when our first round of holidays hit, we were overwhelmed at the volume of orders we received. This led to sleepless nights spent cutting cheese, folding salami, filling cracker bags, communicating with customers, and delivering all over from LA to San Diego. 

As we grew our business, we leaned heavily on our loved ones, recruiting every one of our family members and friends to be part of the team. In some ways, it feels like everyone close to us has had some hand in Benci. To all our Benci “interns” who helped us along the way, we wouldn’t be where we are today without you, and we’re forever grateful for your support! 

We are also so grateful for each other because, in the middle of the back-to-back all-nighters, we have had an endless amount of laughs and stories that we will never forget. It’s really special to share the experience of building a business with your best friend and it makes all the challenges so worth it! 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Benci is an events company specializing in all things grazing. We offer an array of spreads, including boxes, boards, and tables filled with artisan cheese, charcuterie, and accoutrements. We pride ourselves on our quality and variety that we offer our customers, and that is what makes Benci stand out from its competitors. We also love pushing our creative talents and often work with customers to make custom spreads based on their events or personal likings. We are really proud of the product we give our customers and are often blown away by our customer loyalty. We try out best to give alternative recommendations when we are sold out, but most of our customers, including celebrities and influencers, say they would rather wait when we are available than go elsewhere. It’s the biggest compliment we could receive! 

What matters most to you?
Without a doubt, the most important thing to us is our friendship. We love what we do because it brings people together around a shared experience, and it has done the same for us. After spending many years physically apart, Benci has been the perfect reunion, and we are so excited to continue building this brand together. I think people can feel the love we have for each other and our business through our products and services and that is so special to be able to share! 

Pricing:

• Boxed by Benci: Personal $45, Small $75, Large $175
• Boards by Benci: Personal $55, Small $100, Medium $165, Large $225
• Celebrate by Benci: $85 per Small Letter/Number, $115 per Medium Letter/Number
• Graze by Benci: Custom pricing for custom tables and runners

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bencisocal.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bencigrazingco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Benci.Socal/

Image Credits
Katelyn Parker
Sammy Noelle
Honey Mous
Beauty Within Letters
Sprig and Spring