Today we’d like to introduce you to Michele Fordice.
Hi Michele , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I decided to throw a surprise party for a dear friend and thought I would try this “new thing” called a grazing table. It was a hit by our guests and I ended up sharing some pictures on my personal social media account. Within a week of that post, I had three local friends reach out and ask if I would cater for the next event.
I decided to try it out within 4 months we were doing events for 200 people. I started an instagram account, got my business license with the state and started catering out of my home kitchen. Eventually we moved into a licensed shared kitchen with other like minded entrepreneurs. And then COVID shut down the world.
I was devastated. My vision was always to produce large scale events. After sulking for a few days, I decided to offer small charcuterie boxes to help us all celebrate those intimate occasions in the midst of a global shut down. One thing lead to another and a local winery asked us to make 100 charcuterie boxes a week for them. That was the bread and butter of our business until the world began to open up again.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
After working with a few local wineries, our charcuterie boxes got embargoed by the county health inspector. In order to sell charcuterie wholesale, you needed a meat handling license that only the USDA could offer. I worked with ODA (Oregon Department of Agriculture) and we were the first business in Oregon to become fully licensed to sell wholesale charcuterie. It took weeks to create our own HACCP and SSOP plan (imagine a 3 in binder full of protocols).
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At Sprig & Spread, we have an innate desire to create beauty.
We offer charcuterie boxes, boards, cups & grazing tables for 35 – 350 guests. Our products are made with intention to ensure each order is filled with care and artistic attention to detail, no matter how big or small.
We source ingredients from the PNW and beyond to showcase beautiful products to create stunning spreads.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Beauty, hospitality and excellence are our core values and each and every experience with our staff to the items we curate reflect those qualities. We believe each spread should be reflective of the clients vision with our shared values.
Pricing:
- https://www.sprigandspread.com/charcuterie-cups-for-events
- https://www.sprigandspread.com/boxes
- https://www.sprigandspread.com/boards
- https://www.sprigandspread.com/event-spreads
- https://www.sprigandspread.com/workshops
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sprigandspread.com
- Instagram: sprig.and.spread
- Facebook: sprig.and.spread
