Exploring Life & Business with Vania Bouffard of Vania’s Gogo Foods

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vania Bouffard.

Hi Vania, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Vania Bouffard and Chris Han, together we own a small business, Vania’s Gogo Foods, which started as a sauce company. We launched Vania’s Gogo Sauce in August 2019 at local LA farmer’s markets.

I’ve had a passion for food my whole life! I was fortunate to grow up traveling and living in other countries, where my parents, who were both fantastic cooks, exposed me to different cuisines and cultures. Everything from Nasi Goreng, Paella, Filipino classics and Aussie meat pies!

In a zigzag kinda way, I eventually made it to Le Cordon Bleu in Dover, NH and moved to Las Vegas and became Sous Chef at the Venetian Hotel and Casino and Executive Chef at NYNY Hotel and Casino and Chef de Cuisine at Creative Catering LV.

Fast forward to present, my Korean American hubby, Chris persuaded me to bottle my sauce. It’s been a staple in our home for over a decade.

Unfortunately, the pandemic shut the world down and we were left wondering what to do or how to survive. Struggling during the pandemic put many things in perspective and we thought about the personal connection that was missing during lockdown.

Thankfully, we were able to start selling in our local Farmer’s Markets and we’ve progressed from selling only one sweet and spicy Korean gochujang sauce to selling several kinds of onigiri (rice balls) as well as a garlic chili oil. We still have some more products in development so stay tuned.

We’re very much a small batch company and we hand make our sauces and food because we care about the quality and care that go into it. It’s all about putting one foot in front of the next and we’ve had many close friends and family to support us. We’re very humbled and grateful for our fans and we love talking to our customers. Seeing them again and again and hearing about their personal lives makes us feel like the world will soon return to normal” should be deleted since it’s repeated in the eighth paragraph where it belongs.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Starting a business is never an easy road. We’ve had to learn about recipe testing, health permits, insurance, bottling, labels, nutrition, social media, expenses and accounting. Starting a sauce business is never really about just cooking up sauce in your kitchen, bottling it up and selling it in stores. We had all these great ideas but no real direction. Luckily the Pasadena Small Business Development Center (SBDC) helped us organize our business plan and put us on the right path. We owe a great deal to the entire department, especially Andrew and Annie. It’s all about putting one foot in front of the next and we’ve had many close friends and family to support us. We’re very humbled and grateful for our fans and we love talking to our customers. Seeing them again and again and hearing about their personal lives makes us feel like the world will soon return to normal.

As you know, we’re big fans of Vania’s Gogo Foods. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
What started the business is our Korean gochujang sauce. Gogo forGochujang Go-to sauce. As we feel that its versatility will make it the sauce/condiment bottle you reach for every single time!

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Set realistic goals. Our first day, we brought 250 bottles expecting to sell out. We ended up selling only three. It was a huge reality check and we worked through it and trudged forward. Everyone’s journey will be different. We continue to make mistakes and learn from them. Ask questions and be grateful and appreciative of all the advice and support you receive. I don’t think there’s an actually road map to follow. Get as much information as you can and tailor it! Be flexible and adapt if necessary.

Pricing:

• Onigiri-$6.00-$7.00
• Vania’s Gogo Sauce-$12.00
• Vania’s Garlicky Chili Oil-$16.00

Contact Info:

• Email: vaniasgogofoods@gmail.com
• Website: Vaniasgogosauce.com
• Instagram: vaniasgogosauce
• Facebook: vaniasgogosauce