Inspiring Conversations with Jessica Hurwitz of California Marshmallow Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Hurwitz.

Hi Jessica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always loved to tinker around in the kitchen, experimenting with new techniques and recipes. I’m the one who brings way too many dishes to a potluck and sends you home with too much food, because I just really love to cook.

I started experimenting with marshmallows as I thought it’d be a challenge to try to make something I’d never made before. I was blown away by how good they were and how fun they were to make. Having inhaled an entire batch of marshmallows in an embarrassingly short amount of time, I joined a Facebook group where I got more recipe ideas, and I was inspired by all that people were doing and selling.

At the same time, I was in a job I really didn’t like, and I found I had a lot of time on my hands as the company I was working for wasn’t doing very well. I thought it’d be fun to start a marshmallow company on the side, where I could sell anything and everything related to marshmallows. I started small with a few flavors and kept getting increasingly inspired, I moved on to rice cereal treats, marshmallow cookies, s’mores cupcakes and so on. In the midst of cooking and experimenting, I found I was really enjoying myself. I went to a street fair and started selling my treats there and I was pleased with the response. Around that time, I got a call I was expecting that the company I was working for was going to close up shop and I thought it’d be a good time to try to have a go at it and see if I could turn this passion into a business.

I started the very confusing and daunting process of establishing a business and setting up shop, getting the licensees I needed and determining how I’d logistically handle the business. I got my products in a local store, and I learned a ton through the processes, like what ships well and what doesn’t, how to ship in summer vs. winter, and how to streamline my processes so I work smarter, not harder.

My biggest challenge continues to be gaining awareness for my business, I started by focusing on organic social media and realized that was getting me nowhere fast so I hired a marketing agency to help me build brand awareness, and that’s still a slow-going process, but something I think can take off.

I’ve been in business a fairly short time and momentum is slowly building. I have so many ideas for new products and I’m excited to continue to grow this business. I’d like to see it grow to the point where I can hire more people and possibly open some store fronts (we’re online only at this point). The responses I’ve gotten from people who’ve tried my products has been incredibly encouraging. I truly believe gourmet marshmallows can be next big dessert trend and I’m excited to be on the ground floor of this trend.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with most things, it’s not been a completely smooth road. Some struggles included:

When I got my products in a local store, it was the height of summer, and they prominently placed my products front and center in the sun so everything melted and I had to figure out how to extend shelf life in any kind of weather situation. I’ve had to remove several items from my collection as they didn’t have a great shelf life or couldn’t be shipped well.

Facebook, without warning, closed my ad account so I couldn’t post ads which has been my main source of marketing, and getting them to reopen it has been a challenge.

I have very little help and my social media skills aren’t the best, so my social media has suffered.

And of course, the biggest bump has just been gaining and maintaining that brand awareness and top of mind awareness with very little ad/marketing budget.

We’ve been impressed with California Marshmallow Company, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I specialize in selling gourmet marshmallows and marshmallowy products to people. From cookies, chocolate bars, cake jars, chocolate covered and of course any flavor of marshmallow you can imagine, we have marshmallows to fit any taste.

What sets us apart from others (besides our bold taste and soft texture) is that we don’t just sell marshmallows but we sell marshmallowy treats as well. Our gourmet marshmallow are flavorful and visually pleasing, but our marshmallowy treats help us stand out. From chocolate covered creations filled with curds, caramels, cookies and fillings, to our marshmallow topped cookies and our Dubai Chocolate Bars filled with flavored marshmallows, we have a surprisingly large variety of items that aren’t just your average run of the mill marshmallow.

I’m most proud of the diversity and the freshness of ideas. We have several new products coming in at least once a month, so there’s always something new to try and discover.

Our items are made to order. The small batches help maintain the freshness of the products and there are so many occasions to enjoy marshmallows. People who aren’t familiar with gourmet marshmallows and think marshmallows are stale white and bland are always pleasantly surprised by the bold flavor and soft pillowy texture of the gourmet marshmallow.

Marshmallows are great for any occasion and holiday, from birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, graduation gifts, housewarming gifts… people love receiving gifts of gourmet marshmallows. They’re a nostalgic item that has been elevated to a highly sophisticated dessert treat.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was (and still am) shy and quiet. I liked to bury my nose in a book and stay there. I was a homebody who loved the comfort of staying home and being with family. I started my love of cooking at a young age; I memorized the Nestle Tollhouse Cookie recipe and loved to experiment with additions to it. And, I would make it as often as I could. I loved reading recipe books and turning those recipes into delicious creations that I could present to my family.

Pricing:

• Gourmet marshmallows come in boxes of 4 and are $10 each.
• Chocolate covered marshmallows range between $6-$21
• Cake jars (layers of cake and marshmallow fluff) are $14
• Our Flavored Marshmallow Dubai Chocolate Bars come in boxes of 4 and are $20 per box.
• Our Cookies range from $4-$10

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.camarshmallowco.com
• Instagram: @camarshmallowco
• Facebook: @camarshmallowco
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/california-marshmallow-company/?viewAsMember=true
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/california-marshmallow-los-angeles?osq=California+marshmallow+company