We recently connected with Christina Hultberg and have shared our conversation below.
Christina, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
A day in June 2021 I was sitting in a meeting at Mustards Grill when I got an email from a client on Etsy, it was a designer from Auberge Luxury Resorts asking me if I would be interested in designing a charcuterie board for their new hotel in Napa Valley that would be in every cottage’s mini bar. I almost fell out of my chair, knowing this would be the project that would change the trajectory of my business. The backstory is I have worked at Mustards Grill for 22 years in Napa Valley while concurrently trying to build my brand and at the time, I had been driving in from Sacramento (where I live) so for 2 years I had been watching the construction of this new property. I also know how prestigious the reputation of the Auberge brand was in the valley since they already had 2 properties in Napa at the time. When the order was first placed it was for 149 charcuterie boards, it then was increased to a total of 290 charcuterie boards which included charcuterie boards for their executive board team members and their dining room as well as mini charcuterie boards for all of the fur friends that would be accompanying their humans staying at the resort. The Auberge properties are visited by people all over the world so my brand and charcuterie boards will be exposed to people from all over the world, what an incredible opportunity for my business and my brand!
Christina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a California native and the founder of House of Quail. I am a former student of architecture and a culinary enthusiast turned woodworker. 20 years ago, I bought a 112 year old Craftsman highboy bungalow in Sacramento. I have remodeled the bathroom and the kitchen myself. In 2020 I completed the kitchen remodel during the height of the pandemic. I even built the hood vent surround. In November of 2020 I took a woodworking class just to get out of the house. After the class I made 6 Christmas gifts for family and friends. In January of 2021 one of the recipients of those Christmas gifts reached out to me, she had a friend who was a chef and wanted to buy one of my boards for a birthday gift for her friend…well House of Quail Culinary Woodworking was born!!
After discovering my love for woodworking in 2020, my newfound past-time making boards for loved ones quickly turned into a passionate venture. While continuously breaking boundaries in the male-dominated woodworking industry. I have found a beautiful way to naturally merge my love for creativity, food and connection with others.
It all started with a curiosity for woodworking, a passion for fine cuisine, and a heart for serving others. Just as our namesake, we view our culinary pieces as a symbol and opportunity for fellowship with loved ones around the enjoyment of fine cuisine. its our hope that with everything we craft, it continuously inspires joyful moments with gathered friends and family that lead to cherished and lasting memories.
Our brand pillars are;
Creativity
With a passion for art and an eye for style we aim to craft beautiful and creative products that make our customers feel inspired.
Function
Because of our architectural background we understand the importance of function first. Creating quality products that people can enjoy with ease is our top priority .
Joy
With a deep love for our craft, we aim to inject that energy and spirit in everything we create – ultimately inspiring joyful moments that leave our customers feeling comfortable and uplifted.
Connection
Our goal is to build heirloom pieces that bring people together through culinary experiences – creating unique opportunities that encourage fellowship and lasting connections.
Our products are thoughtfully handcrafted in California with quality local materials, each House of Quail piece is as unique as the home it’s made for.
Outside of our product shop, we also partner with our clients to craft bespoke culinary pieces.
Using high quality local materials, our boards are made with function in mind and enduring aesthetics to create heirloom quality products built to last. Together we will work to create a truly custom design that can be used and cherished for years to come
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Buy local, support local small businesses. I know life can be so stressful and busy and amazon is just a click away, but buying from a local artist or creative when you need that special gift for someone or yourself supports someone in your local town or neighborhood.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
oh social media!!! I had no idea what a powerful engine it could be. It is all about networking!!! In the beginning, I followed people and businesses that I was inspired to be like. Early on in my business, I gave some boards to a local woman – owned grazing table company who I was connected to through a woman I work with at Mustards. You don’t know how small the world truly is. She would connect with other businesses such as a picnic company, a photographer and a clothing company locally and they would have photo shoots and would share their content, The photos were incredible, it helped with content. Social media is so visual and people only stay on your feed 3 -5 seconds so you have to capture your audience quickly and great photography is vital!
I made so many mistakes early on, but the mistakes helped make the business better and if it wasn’t for the mistakes I would not be in the place I am today…they are all learning moments and it’s ok to make mistakes and fail!!
I also would offer boards to businesses that were offering giveaways on social media, it would give me more traction and cast a wider net of viewers that I would probably never be exposed to.
I also would highly recommend if you can afford it, hire a brand creator…it’s worth EVERY dollar. The brand creator gave me a visual template of what my company’s pillars are and what I want to evoke to a potential client. She created a uniform brand identity that I was so lacking early on in my business.
And time, it takes time to build your business..be patient if you believe in your business and yourself it will become a success it just doesn’t happen overnight.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.houseofquail.com
- Instagram: @houseofquail
- Facebook: House of Quail
Image Credits
Maddy Eccles Photo