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.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/691740
Despite the challenges, feedback is still the most important part of their business model. Tom chalks up most of their success to their interaction with consumers: "We rely on that feedback. We always have. After managing restaurants and being in the food industry, you have to listen to the customer and their feedback. If you ignore it, you won't last very long." Their customers also help them keep track of long-term trends versus the market's passing whims. "We thought gluten-free was just a fad. We weren't alone—a lot of people felt that way," Ted remem- bers. "But so many of our customers said, 'You have to come up with a gluten-free mix,' that it was pretty obvious that we should. Again, it's about customer service." But aside from the gluten-free mix, Sticky Fingers' line hasn't strayed too far from the original line up. In addition to the signature scone mixes, customers can now buy Irish soda bread, muffin and brownie mixes, and spreads like lemon curd and pepper jelly. Focus on the Future Nearly 30 years on, Sticky Fingers still employs just Tom and Ted. The business is running smoothly, but in Tom's opinion, there's always more to do. "There are parts of the business that we want to improve upon. Like, let's try a new recipe or different packaging. But these buyers lately, they keep me too busy," he laughs. At the end of the day, it's the joy of risk that keeps them in the industry. Tom says, "It's exciting to come out with new mixes and see how they're received. You never know when that big account is com- ing and if you can land it. Challenge has a lot to do with it. It's fun." In 1975, Tom and Ted might never have imagined they would end up building such a sticky brand. their families up to Spokane, Wash. With the right recipe, a little bit of capital, and a new home base, Sticky Fingers Bakeries was finally ready to sell their mixes to retailers across the country. Scaling the Business First, Tom and Ted focused on building up a national broker and distributor network. They leaned on the generosity of professionals who were already working in specialty food—starting with an espe- cially kind broker from Cost Plus. "We learned a lot from him. How to handle buyers, how to price things," Ted remembers. Thanks to the early support from these industry experts, they built a strong, trusted network that continues to help push sales along. They also settled their struggles with production, forging a relationship with a co-packer who has, luckily enough, experienced business growth at about the same rate as Sticky Fingers. "Their growth coincided with ours and we've been with them ever since. It's rare, and we're really fortunate," Tom explains. Keeping Close to the Customer Throughout the years, Tom and Ted have focused on the customer. "We've always been very conscientious about customer response to the product. That's paramount," Tom says. If customers call Sticky Fingers to complain about too much baking soda in the product, they take the feedback very seriously, working hard to determine the root cause of the issue. That said, trends catch fire much faster than they used to, and customers are often tough to please. "The business has changed so much because of social media. Everything has to be non-GMO, sustainable—and all of these different things come up fast now. You don't have a lot of time to react to it. Everybody's on board instantly," Tom explains. For nearly three years, Tom and Ted continued to operate the retail bakery and the specialty food business at the same time. Nights were spent putting labels on bags in front of the television. "We were making so many mistakes. We were tying the little baggies ourselves," Tom laughs. "We've always been very conscientious about customer response to the product. That's paramount," Tom says. If customers call Sticky Fingers to complain about too much baking soda in the product, they take the feedback very seriously, working hard to determine the root cause of the issue. SUMMER 2016 127 Olivia Kingsley is a creative writer based in San Francisco. Her work can be found at olivia-kingsley.com.