Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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on board in 2008. Matching Kraemer's pas- sion for food was Auth's passion for strategy and managing, a skill she honed over many years of starting and managing companies and bands and working in the film indus- try. Auth began by focusing on the graphic design of the products. "I was up to my elbows in the business plan and it just exploded from there," Auth says. She worked on how best to grow the business, particularly amid and after the recession. "For some products we reduced the prices and got new packaging to make them less expensive," Auth says. "As we evolved, our roles solidified. When I came on board, Pam was able to get back into the kitchen." Auth made some immediate changes; among them, "I made Pam stop packing boxes and hired a fulfillment company," she says. A true creative in the kitchen, Kraemer built her line organically. She started with sauces, like Toasted Sesame & Ginger Asian Sauce, later adding spices at the behest of her farmers-market patrons. Today Dulcet sells three cooking spices and rubs: Creole, Madras and Moroccan. A love of mus- tard led Kraemer to create Madras Curry Mustard, which won the Grand Champion Award at the Napa Valley Mustard Festival soon after its debut. "So I decided to make more mustards," Kraemer says. "There was no strategy at that point, it just evolved." With 15 products today, the Dulcet Cuisine line includes five sauces, three spic- es, four mustards and three ketchups, with multiple award winners in each category, including Mild Indian Curry Ketchup, which took home two sofi Gold Awards in 2011 for Outstanding Shelf Stable Foodservice and in 2010 for Outstanding Condiment. Today, Dulcet Cuisine sells all over the country, both direct wholesale and through a variety of distributors, and can be found at thousands of stores, from Whole Foods Markets to small specialty shops. "The food industry is one big surprise; it's like an onion with so many different lay- ers," Auth says, adding that it's "absolutely challenging," which was exactly what the sisters-in-law were looking for. "Many people go into the food industry thinking they'll only be working with food, but you need a lot of capital and support to bring your product to market," Kraemer notes. "When I was a flight attendant, I felt underemployed. I wasn't being as challenged as I wanted to be." In the food industry, however, "I'm chal- lenged every single day," she effuses. "I'm proud of what we've created and I want to see where we can take it from here." Uncover a World of Specialty Foods and Ideas t The Newest Products & Hottest Trends: 180,000 specialty foods & beverages , t A True World Market: 2,400 exhibitors from 80+ countries & regions t The Best Education: 20 seminars, tastings & tours STAY CONNECTED Keep up with the latest Industry news t Our Industry's Finest: 150+ outstanding sofi Awards fi nalists & winners For more information, go to fancyfoodshows.com MARCH 2012 25