Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Houghton.
Hi Caroline, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I got started right out of high school (in 2004) when I suddenly developed a nut allergy. I started learning how to bake since I couldn’t safely eat most treats from a bakery anymore. I remember finding a Le Cordon Bleu pastry chef program textbook in my local Half Price Books store and going through it in detail, becoming fascinated with how much pastry combined science and art, two things that I had always been passionate about. I kept up baking as a hobby throughout the years and at some point started taking special orders mostly from friends and family.
When Covid hit and I was laid off from my job, I started thinking more seriously about trying to expand Carobeans as an actual business. I applied for a cottage food license, opened an LLC, and invested more time in creating and growing my social media accounts, which is where I do most of my business. Growth has been slow but steady, and in the last few months, I was able to make a dream come true and invest in the equipment necessary to start making my bean-to-bar chocolate.
It has been so fun and fulfilling to start the journey of buying my own ethically sourced cacao beans and grinding my chocolate. The first time I tasted a finished chocolate bar that I made, from the selecting and roasting of the beans to the grinding and tempering of the chocolate, I was blown away by the unique flavors and amazing texture, and just want to share with the world how amazing real chocolate can be!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes and no. It has been smooth because the process has always been rewarding. From meeting amazing new customers and people along the way, to that feeling of being alone in my kitchen recipe testing late at night and tasting something knowing that I nailed it, to bringing a smile to other people’s faces when I bake them something. I love baking custom birthday cakes for friends, family, and coworkers and making people feel special and loved.
The biggest struggles along the way have been the costs associated with starting a small business, and the time and space necessary for helping a food business thrive. I have 2 kids (9 and 3), so obviously time is precious and most of my baking gets done after they are in bed for the night, which is hard because it often means that I am up late trying to fulfill orders. Rising food costs in the last year have been really difficult too.
I’ve tried to not raise my prices too much because I want to keep my stuff affordable, but I have to keep the bills paid too. I’m currently trying to find a commercial kitchen to work out of so that I can (hopefully) get my chocolate bars into local stores, but so far everything I have found has been out of my budget
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My number one job is being a mom to my 2 kids! It is by far the most rewarding and most difficult job I have ever had or will have.
Aside from being a mom and making chocolate and pastries, I also own a residential cleaning company. Most of my clients are families with children and I love being able to help keep their lives running smoothly. As a parent myself, I know how hard it is to keep up with all of the daily stuff from kids’ activities to laundry, meals, cleaning etc, so being able to lessen the burden a little for other families is a privilege. This business has also financially enabled me to keep Carobeans growing with the goal of that being my only job sometime in the future.
I also work very part-time for Volvo in Golden Valley. I started there as a receptionist and continue to do that as well as some admin work for the finance department. Besides being a big fan of Volvo cars (since long before working for them), I love the environment and my coworkers there.
I am very busy!
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The biggest form of support is buying products, interacting with social media posts, and sharing with others. I don’t think most people realize the value of sharing posts, giving online reviews, or simply hitting the like button when it comes to social media nowadays. I did recently set up an e-commerce website, but before that most of my business has been done through Instagram and Facebook.
I am also a survivor of domestic violence, and it’s really important to me to be vocal about this, because there IS help out there. Supporting any agency that supports survivors is supporting me and very meaningful. My goal once I have grown Carobeans more is to use my platform to spread awareness and donate part of my profits to domestic violence awareness and agencies that help survivors and victims.
Pricing:
- My chocolate bars are priced between $8-$12
- Truffles are priced between $10-$25 for a box
- Cakes and other pastries are customs and $40+
Contact Info:
- Website: https://carobeans.square.site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caro_beans/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Carobeans/
