We recently connected with Jen Alviar and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I started Coastal Boards Charcuterie to provide a more affordable option for San Diego residents to enjoy charcuterie. There are so many wonderful charcuterie businesses that you could work with for your parties and events. However, the San Diego market of charcuterie can be costly for the every day person to afford.

My goal is to bring affordability into this market so that it doesn’t discourage families and companies to stray away from the wonderful experience that charcuterie can bring to a party or event. I use the same quality ingredients that many other businesses use, I shop at the same stores, but the only difference is that I take a smaller percentage of the profits.

I believe that everyone should enjoy and experience the fun nature that charcuterie can bring, regardless of your budget. I’ll always try to work with my customers to provide them with what they want/need.

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.

Like many others, I started making charcuterie boards for fun! I discovered that I had the eye for it, and quickly became determined to provide my family and friends with a really nice board or graze for their parties. Over the years as my skill developed, family and friends were quick to ask me for my business card. I was confused and told them that I just do this for fun! Through years of encouragement from my family/friends, I finally started my business in October of 2023.

I started with a very simple menu: boxes, boards, and grazes. I still offer those, and they are the most requested items I offer! But I now offer charcuterie cups, which are individual cups with an assortment of cheeses, meats and accoutrements. Definitely very cocktail hour friendly! I also recently added individual boxes, which serve for a more intimate setting. Think “high tea”; it’s a more filling serving of charcuterie and it’s become increasingly popular! I also offer additional add ons such as sandwiches, small bites, and salads to go with any graze purchase.

Typically, the main problem I’ve experienced is pricing and communication. I am always transparent with my pricing (all of my prices are listed on my Instagram page). If customers inquire via email, I send a pricing list and a temporary quote; typically if it’s out of their budget, they don’t reply. It can be discouraging at times because it causes me to question if I’m being unreasonable, but I remind myself that I won’t always be able to serve everyone and make everyone happy. If customers are honest about their situation and they ask for a small discount, I usually say yes! I’d rather take a profit cut. I make the customer happy, I’ve established a good reputation, and I’ve reached an audience I generally wouldn’t have if I had said no. Majority of my inquiries come from people who have seen my work in person. It’s a win, in my opinion, and profit isn’t everything to me.

I’m very proud of how highly my customers speak of my work and myself! My customers flatter me all the time with their kind words of my character, my responsiveness and my work. It encourages me to provide the highest level of professionalism and customer service. I love my customers!

I want my customers (and future customers!) to know that I will always go above and beyond to give you what you want. If you want something suuuuuper specific or you have a vision that no one else quite understands, I’m your girl! I love the weird, the fun, the themes, all of it. Send your inspiration pictures and I’ll work on it day and night to make sure your vision comes to life.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I’m blessed to work full time and manage a charcuterie business. My job is very flexible and I’m off every weekend and all holidays. I didn’t take a loan to start; everything is completely funded by my full time job.

I started with a small investment of $300. I used it to purchase boards, boxes, stickers, supplies, and ingredients. When I first started back in October 2023, I would make charcuterie boards at home (just for content for my Instagram) and give them away for free. I posted everyday, spent zero dollars on marketing, and gradually, my following grew. I haven’t taken on any debt from starting, something I’m also very proud of!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

My presence on social media has been the most effective. I’m consistent with posting videos and photos of my work. People find my profile, I make it easy for customers to navigate how much my services are, and typically people come ready with their date and their credit card!

Word of mouth and taking on bigger events has also helped. Doing a really good job at big parties/events allows for their guests to inquire about my services. People love to take pictures of their boxes, boards and grazes and they tag me in their stories. Their followers see it, and even if they weren’t at the party/event, I’ve gained exposure from their followers!

My main priority is to provide a visually stunning charcuterie spread with ingredients that I know guests will love. I don’t want it to just be pretty, it also needs to be something that people will eat, talk about, and come back for more!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @coastalboards.charcuterie
• Other: coastalboardscharcuterie@gmail.com