Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivia Alcid
Hi Olivia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I first started making chocolate-covered fruit when I worked at Edible Arrangements while in high school. I was there for a while and later left to go to college in San Antonio. After spending a few years there, I began bartending in the Stone Oak area for a few more years until after my husband and I had our first child, and we ended up moving back to my hometown in Sugar Land. It wasn’t until about two years later, late last summer in 2024, that I came up with the idea for Twisted.
I was asked by my dad to make a box of chocolate-covered strawberries for a coworker’s birthday. I would do this anyway throughout the years and gave these boxes as gifts whenever I felt like it, so making them was more of a hobby. After making these boxes, I remembered how fun it was putting them together and making them look nice, and especially hearing that people enjoyed eating them! During this time, I was in between jobs so I decided to start trying to make some money off of my boxes. One day, I was sitting in my thoughts about how I was going to do all of this – obviously I have never started a business and I just jumped right into this with absolutely no plan about anything, and I remember daydreaming while staring at this bottle of peach whiskey that I had not touched in a few months. Then I had this thought – infused chocolate and infused fruit are a thing, right? Having experience in both the dipped-fruit industry and bartending, I thought, what if I combined the two and twist up these boxes? Then the experimenting began. I tried infusing the chocolate-covered strawberries with that peach whiskey and decided that combination was… not what I thought it would be – at least not with the chocolate! Because after testing more fruits & alcohol combinations with the chocolate together, I came across much better-tasting combos that really surprised me, my family, and friends!
I later signed up for a few markets and found out that many people were enjoying what I was making, so of course I kept it going! Now, you can find Twisted at pop-up markets around the Houston area, and making boxes for birthdays, office parties, or any event!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like any business, I definitely have some challenges. I am only in my first year of starting Twisted, but especially in the very beginning, when trying to figure out every detail, building a menu was one of them! A lot of flavor testing goes into this, and although it can be a fun process, it takes lots of time and uses product that can quickly become pricey. Not only does the alcohol become pricey, but the fact that I use fruits, which have a limited time of freshness, and chocolate, which needs to be cool and refrigerated, can make everything even more of a challenge. I can only prepare so much before an event, but all fruits, whether twisted or non-infused, have to be made the same day as the event/pickup for ultimate freshness, which means sometimes having to wake up as early as 3:30 or 4am so they can be ready to go depending on the distance and time of the event. The summer will be a big challenge, especially when doing outdoor markets, but I believe we will have everything we need to keep them cool!
Aside from this, having to also put together customizable options and boxes can take longer than one would think, so the process is very time consuming and definitely hard to focus when raising two kids that are two and one! I find it difficult to balance not only basic daily life with my children, but really spending quality time with them while having to work on anything from social media marketing, making orders, prepping for markets, building a website, you name it! There are days where I get little to nothing done, and there are some really productive days, but I don’t always get to reach my daily or weekly goals, and that is tough to accept. Every day can be unpredictable when putting together a small business and raising young kids at the same time. I am fortunate to have my husband who not only supports my endeavors but understands when I need those evenings to dedicate to working on the business, that the kids are taken care of, along with my dad and mother-in-law when they are available to care for them while we are at events.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I definitely did not think that I would be doing essentially the same thing I did for work while in high school, but after noticing over time that I genuinely enjoy what I am doing now, I feel like I was meant to do this. As challenging as the process can be sometimes, I am having fun and all the pieces are coming together, little by little. I went from bringing chocolate fruits to school from my job (so much that they would literally get tired of it), to bartending and making boxes as gifts, to creating and selling around the city, and I am excited to see what else Twisted will be able to accomplish in the future.
Currently, we are looking at ways to be more sustainable, starting with getting rid of all plastic treat boxes by using reusable/recyclable paper boxes and bags, using biodegradable materials, and limiting waste in general. Twisted boasts quality and affordability, especially when compared to these big-named companies, because you can expect the same great quality for a much more reasonable price – and that’s with alcohol included! Both high quality chocolate and liquor are used for the unique and tasty burst of flavor that customers experience when trying these infused treats! Like I stated before, a lot of flavor testing goes into this, which takes time and uses product. So, to now have a main menu along with seasonal menus that have plenty of these twisted fruits as options, I am very proud that others get to try my treats and have provided amazing feedback, because seeing people enjoy what you make is what makes all the hard work worth it.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I grew up in Sugar Land, but something I have always appreciated about SL and really the whole Houston area is the diversity. I love how there is so much to try, do, and learn about all the different areas of Houston. I am proud to call it my home, my husband loves being here, and we are happy to raise our family here as well.
Pricing:
- Twisted boxes – $18<
- Non-infused boxes – $13<
- Specialty boxes – $25<
- Other chocolate treats $5
Contact Info:
- Website: website coming soon!
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twistedhtx/profilecard/?igsh=MWt5bWtnOGU3Mm9odA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563823880684&mibextid=kFxxJD
