Hope you like chocolate, because that ‘s what we are talking about with Dr. Lisa Masterson’s guest Garrett Anderson from Spruce0132 and Whaddyaluv Chocolate.

Whaddyaluv: Spruce0132’s experiential artisan chocolate brand set for US entry.

Family start up Spruce0132 is to introduce a chocolate brand to boutique channels across the US made entirely fromEcuadorian Sacha Gold Cocoa.

The company was created by Garrett Anderson, brother-in-law of George Loquvam, founder of Coco clone variety SachaGold.

The high-end Whaddyaluv brand uses Coco from Loquvam’s Cimarron Coco Estates and is enclosed in hand folded packaging.

Spruce0132 began as a pop up Christmas store in California called Blitzen’s, but is now concentrated on chocolate and will today (September 22) open it’s own chocolate store in Los Angeles.

It has also opened discussions with retailers to stock though what do you love brand across the US.

‘Not a lot of people are going to beans too’

“Everybody is doing been to bar, but not a whole lot of people are growing the beans too,” said Anderson

The company will also produce a private label product for one retailer but Anderson said, “our intention is to build our own brand”.

Hand-folded packages and personalized messages

The company’s new store has a large chalkboard allowing visitors to write messages detailing what they love about life.

Anderson said the idea came after he left the chalkboard at Laurel Canyon Love Street Festival and was blown away with the response.

Spruce0132 will supply mini chalkboard displays to third-party retailers to create an experiential in-store feature, allowing customers to write what they love about their lives.

“it’s a different retail experience’” said Anderson. “If you go to Whole Foods or Target there were so many brands out there-I don’t know how people choose.”

“Our brand is a 3 x 3 square and the paper that wraps around the bar is hand-folded,” which differentiates it from other brands on shelf, he claimed.

 

Available on iTunes:

Sweet Success, the podcast for and about small business entrepreneurs hosted by chocolatier and small business owner, Garrett Anderson, and radio host and author, Lara Scott. Join us each episode as we document the process of starting and running a small business using Garrett’s Spruce0132 as a real-time case study so others can learn and become inspired to do the same.

Spruce 132 will start by targeting artisan shops, wine stores and gift shops for the Whaddyaluv brand which retails for $4.95, for a 25 g bar.

Anderson said the company was looking for distribution in “ any similar store that has a bigger story other than plain retail, something that’s talking to the community”.

He added that the company would like to explore larger retail such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s in the long term.

“Someone at Target was interested, but we’re not looking at the channel yet, but we will someday as they expand in a natural and ethical direction,” said Anderson

The company has been talking to boutique store supposed to close in the US to family members living in Washington and Portland.

“It’s definitely a family affair and it’s dedicated to where we all are,” said Anderson.

Single estate: packaging communications

The brand is not currently communicate that it is a single say chocolate sourced from the family farm, but Anderson said he hope to introduce this messaging as the brand of olives

He said what do you love would have a nice social story to tell at Cimarron to go Estates trains it’s farmers in good agricultural practices, which is helped and quadruple their income.

I want people at the farm to write a note to be inside the packs about they do to tie it back to the farm, said Anderson.

Himalayan salt bar with Coco nibs

The Whaddyaluv brand is produced in commercial kitchen in LA by Anderson and just one other helper.

The company’s main product is it’s 75% pink Himalayan salt bar with Coco nibs, but it also producing a 75% bar with Cayenne pepper.

Anderson formulated the products and self in the company uses mold created by people at the farm in Ecuador.

A national brand and NPD plans

He was looking to Brand extension such as chocolate bar for the US selection with pop rocks inclusion.

It has also created whole cocoa beans from Cimarron Coco Estates covered in chocolate which are around the size of M&Ms but it is working on perfecting the packaging before commercialization.

Anderson said that by 2020 he hopes what do you love will be a national brand and will set continue selling a story rather than simply telling a chocolate product.

The company hopes to partner with Pachamama Alliance, a charity supporting indigenous people in the Amazon, to donate part of it’s proceeds.

 

Visit Garrett on Spruce0132 Facebook: