We were lucky to catch up with Cheri Redgrave recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Cheri, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
If you are what you eat, I was a cheese ball. For 60+ years I ate whatever I wanted. Then I was diagnosed with allergies to wheat, dairy, eggs, and peas. This put me into a tail-spin as I began reimagining all my favorite recipes. I was making progress, a mixture of successes and failures, until I wanted white gravy to go with my newly created biscuits. What a hot mess!!! My husband grabbed the almond milk container and announced that I was simply pouring water into my gravy. I didn’t want gravy that tasted like coconut or oatmeal, and so our adventure began. Two years later we had perfected our new non-dairy milk substitute made from Oregon Hazelnuts. It is designed for cooking and baking. Because you add the water, it can be made into milk, 1/2 & 1/2, cream, evaporated milk, or buttermilk. People with dairy allergies understand. One woman came to me in tears telling me this is the first time she was able to make her scalloped potato recipe in 10 years. By using Cheri’s HazelCream, folks can make delicious meals that the entire family will enjoy.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
We are currently a mom & pop operation. My husband has the title of CEO: Chief Everything Officer. We have done everything from product development, manufacturing, website & package design, advertising, accounting, and inventory. Plus don’t forget the recipe development and the live demos.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
My husband Chris is an Industural Engineer. This has been extremely valuable. At one point he was in aircraft manufactoring. It is extremely regulated and you must track every part. So it is with food products. We must keep track of all products and be able to trace back in case of a food-borne illness. Because of his knowledge we were able to sail through all the regulatory processes. I see many new food business that just “play it by ear”, and don’t worry until they get fined for something. That’s just wrong on so many levels. You need to take the time to get it right.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Cheri’s HazelCream tastes great. It’s not gritty, or bitter, or sweet. If you love entertaining family or friends then it is perfect. It will substitute for any liquid dairy product. We’ve made hundreds of recipes. Everything from creamy garlic pasta, chocolate brownie cake, mashed potatoes, Indian butternut soup, burbon cream sauce for steaks, smoothies, ice cream, and of course, gravy. It’s great in coffee and cereal, and even mixed drinks in the evening, such as a White Russian.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://CherisHazelCream.com
- Instagram: cherishazelcream
- Facebook: cherishazelcream
- Linkedin: [email protected]
- Youtube: cherishazelcream & 2cooks4allergies
Image Credits
Chris Redgrave