FOOD ENTREPRENEUR eZINE FEATURED COMPANY
AWAKEN SAVOR, INC.
“Think of yourself as an artist, your meat as the palette, and our rubs as the paint which you use to create masterpiece meals for your palate.”
HISTORY - What began as a kitchen hobby for friends and family, Alicja Lombard and her Husband, David, have grown Awaken Savor, Inc. to a healthy line of 22 spice rubs for beef, lamb, pork, poultry, fish and seasonings for vegetarian dishes and salad dressing mixes in the space of less than a year.
In June 2008, Alicja began to establish her business in earnest. She registered with the FDA, took various business classes and continued researching different spice combinations to reflect their international regions. These come with intriguing names such as Essence of New Delhi, Lush Himalayan Valley, Italian Citrus Forest and Black Sea Escapade.
NASFT - By August 2008 the website was in place and by September the web store was open for business. Awaken Savor, Inc. became a Candidate Member of the NASFT. Upon their recommendation, she worked with a graphic artist designing labels with a newer, upscale image for the specialty food trade.
Alicja brought her spice blends to the NASFT 34th Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. “The show was a great experience. I received a lot of valuable insights and could see what my competition was doing and how I needed to make some adjustments. I decided to be more health focused, so I reworked the 5 recipes that contained salt and gluten. Now I am 100% salt free, preservative free, MSG free and gluten free”.
GOALS - Her goal for February 2009 was to issue press releases. Of the 50 food magazines she contacted, five published the press release and three more wanted to evaluate her product for a review. Alicja’s goal for March is to “find chefs to evaluate my product and provide reviews.” Awaken Savor spice blends were exclusively selected by Distinctive Assets for inclusion in the April 22, 2009 “Earth Day in Hollywood” celebrity gift baskets.
INVESTMENT - She states “from the initial idea to the point of opening the web store took 3 months with an initial roll-out of $3,000. My original investment has grown substantially, but I only spend as absolutely necessary”.
ADVICE - Alicja feels “you need to love the product you’re promoting but be privately critical of your product. Be prepared to take on any functions necessary to get your business going. Listen to suggestions! Stay flexible and be ready to adjust to the market”.
Contact Information:
Alicja Lombard
P.O. Box 388
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
562-547-1740
e-mail: contact@AwakenSavor.com
Website: AwakenSavor.com
