Today we’d like to introduce you to Neelie Hespen.
Neelie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Choc started in 2011 in Los Angeles, CA. The idea was created back in 2008, when I had a desire to make the perfect brownie. I had taste tested hundreds of brownies all over the country and noticed a lack of flavor- too sugary, no real chocolate flavor. It was at the height of the cupcake craze. People were so interested in an old classic and paying top dollar for something that costs $.20 to make.
Choc. was jumping on the train! Well, maybe we should say choc. got on its own train. Unlike anything at the time, this product wasn’t going to be filled with low quality ingredients. I developed a recipe that was modeled after my own diet profile. This product had to use local ingredients. Supporting local farms and businesses keeps the little guys alive. This product needed to be organic. We want people to enjoy what seemed like a guilty pleasure but actually wasn’t that bad for you. We use organic butter, organic eggs, organic sucanat (least processed sugar cane juice) and Theo’s organic 85% chocolate processed up in Seattle. And lastly, I only had gluten free flour in my house when I was trying to figure out this brownie recipe. I told no one that they were gluten free in fear they would be pre-judged based on all the other GF baked goods on the market in 2008. No one could tell, so I went with it. That was one of the best decisions I made based on the gluten free market growth from 2008-20117. It’s one of the fasting growing categories in allergy market right now.
After the recipe was perfected, I started selling them at work for extra cash. Back then the flavors were (and still are) original, salted caramel and peanut butter & honey. And of course, I was always getting creative in my kitchen so occasionally I’d make some crazy flavors like prosciutto & peach or black truffle. People loved this super fudgy and unique brownie! I had high hopes. We were a green company- my boxes even back then were made in the US from renewable resources. I composted all my eggshells. The business cards were hand stamped soy ink cards.
I was filling orders at work each week for coworkers and their families. Many times around the holidays, I would set up a table at lunch and sell packs of brownies.
I knew I had something good; yet, I had no idea how to get to the next level. Right around this time, 2010, I was working with Monika Gray. She expressed an interest in my brownies. As a former coffee shop owner, she had the business knowledge I lacked. We became partners. I was thrilled that someone wanted to help me with my business endeavor.
In the beginning of 2011, we raised $18,000 on Kickstarter to start the business. We got our licenses, joined a commissary kitchen, created an e-commerce website and got our first real wholesale account at Broome Street General Store in Silverlake.
We both had other full-time jobs so we baked at night or on the weekends. We also went around town visiting any coffee shop or restaurant that might be interested in carrying our brownies. Slowly our business was growing.
In 2012, Monika had decided to move back to NYC. I was devastated but she informed me that she was “taking the brownies too”. Monika opened in Brooklyn with two huge accounts at Stumptown Coffee Roasters at the Ace Hotel and the one in Manhattan. They have 5,000 people walk through their doors a day. This was HUGE for us. Back in Los Angeles, I started doing farmer’s markets and I acquired a couple more wholesale accounts. Business was good.
Recently, we made some changes to our look. With new brownie boxes, we have a sophisticated look instead of that “farmers market” wrapping we had before. Today choc. is in 2 chain grocery stores, an online marketplace and 10 other coffee/cafes in LA.
Has it been a smooth road?
HA! No one has a smooth road in the food business that I know!! Where to start??? When we first started choc. I did what all the “Sharks” tell you to do and quit my job! I soon realized that making money in your first year of business is quite hard. So I had to go back to work.
Trying to juggle a full-time job (I work in tv production so long hours!) with the brownies has been one of the biggest struggles.
I’d also describe the process of figuring out permits, licenses and the logistics of a baked goods company to be anything but smooth.
Luckily, there is a big community of artisan bakers and it helped tremendously to have them as a resource.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Choc is a gluten free, organic brownie company. We source local ingredients whenever possible, our packaging is recyclable and sourced from renewable resources. We specialize in the best brownies you have ever had! They have a unique texture much like a cross between a cheesecake and fudge. Our brownies are served cold! We call them the original “icebox” brownie. We use pasture eggs and grass-fed butter now. I am proud of our brownies and the responsibility we take for what people put in their stomachs. Sure, we’d make a lot more money if we used cheap ingredients, but I didn’t want to contribute to the growing health issues with the American diet. I am also proud that as a company we have no debt.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is the BEST place for the brownies! They are everything everyone is on LA… gluten free and organic!
Depending on what you are selling, the people of LA will try anything. For example, this year we launched a “cricket flour brownie” and now it happens to be one of our bestselling brownies. Doing farmers markets, you find out a lot about your product-people are not afraid to tell you what they like and don’t like about your product.
Pricing:
- We are selling 4 packs of brownies online for a special holiday price of $20
- Most retailers sell our brownies for $6-$6.49
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chocbrownies.com
- Phone: 3235330166
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @chocbrownieco
- Facebook: @chocbrownies
- Twitter: @chocbrownies
Getting in touch: VoyageLA 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.
