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{Cue the Stradivarius}
Foot traffic has always been pathetic on our stretch of Solano Ave and we've often dreamt of moving or opening a second hole-in-the-wall on the busiest possible street. Rent and wages, however, are a huge nut to crack when you're doing it in increments of $1.75.
Then there's wholesale, which we tried for a year before realizing we were actually working for nothing and losing money (not to mention effort and time). With a handmade, labor-intensive product, wholesale just doesn't make sense.
Farmer's markets and similar outdoor shows have proven to be a bust with a temperature-sensitive product, and summer shipping for online orders is cost prohibitive with the need for ice-packs and expediting.
After much tossing and turning, I drew inspiration from a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program I used to belong to: Eatwell Farms. The premise is this: customers subscribe to a weekly or biweekly farm basket which they pick up at a host site during a designated time frame. The host site can be a business or home with a shady, secure porch; the owner gets a free farm basket in exchange for providing the rendezvous location.
The advantage to the customer is they get to have farm-fresh, seasonal produce without having to haul their arses all the way to the farm or pay for shipping. And they can feel good about supporting the farm with regular business. I thought, why not do the same thing with chocolates?!
I've already got host sites lined up in San Rafael, Santa Rosa, and of course, our shop in Berkeley. Are you interested in participating? Visit the brand new Community Supported Chocolate page on our website.
CSC...it just may save The Xocolate Bar.
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