Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea.
Andrea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
At the start of my thirties, I faced very challenging health problems, including infertility and serious chronic fatigue. At the root of my issues were significant nutrient deficiencies and hormonal imbalance. A change to my diet and lifestyle choices helped me achieve a complete turnaround within 18 months. Along the way, I began educating others about things that I had learned through a personal blog, and I also did (and continue to do) a lot of reading about food, nutrition, and health. I became very interested in nutrient dense foods and functional foods, which led me to develop my own line of minimally processed targeted nutrition bars. I started selling them at a few of the farmer’s markets in the greater Houston area (mostly outside of the loop). We’ve since grown to sell in retail and food-service accounts both here and in other states across the U.S.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
A food business is never an easy road – it’s highly regulated, competitive, and expensive to support. At least with CPG. And the more I learn about the various stages of growth a food business goes through, the more I don’t ever expect it to be easy. It takes certain levels of passion, patience, determination, creativity, and unwavering belief in your mission to get through some of the known unknowns in the business. Plus it is constantly changing. I think our biggest hurdles so far have been understanding the different types of opportunities that exist with retail partners, and setting ourselves up for success when we do find placement. Managing inventory vs cash with the perishable nature of our product took some time to get right. Trying to create a new category while bootstrapping has been another area where we are learning and developing. I think the knowledge that I get a chance to bring something nourishing to the table keeps me going. It’s a feel-good business, with a lot of interesting people around to keep you engaged.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the B.O.S.S. Food Co. story. Tell us more about the business.
We make a line of premium superfood bars that are focused on specific nutritional needs and contain a good quantity and diversity of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. B.O.S.S. Bars have only eight ingredients, are Certified Paleo and Certified Gluten-free, with ingredients not found in any other bar. We are really pleased with our customers’ responses to the taste of our bars compared with others they can find on the market. We’ve been featured in the national press and are gaining new customers rapidly. It’s an exciting time as we grow and evolve.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’ve faced a lot of challenges in my life, both personally and professionally. I believe strongly that people make their own luck, and if I had to say whether I felt like a “lucky” or “unlucky” person, I would say the former. And I would say it despite all of the things that have been negative. The universe always seems to provide, and an intelligent person always gets more out of adversity than the easy life. It shapes who you become. It also makes you compassionate, which is so important to success.
Pricing:
- B.O.S.S. Bars are $2.99 – $3.99 at select retailers and online.
- Multipacks available online: $13 – $31.99
Contact Info:
- Website: bossfoodco.com
- Phone: 800.344.8584
- Email: info@bossfoodco.com
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston 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.
