Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adina St John. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Adina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Moving to Michigan was the first experience I had with Cottage Food Laws. Living within walking distance to a farmer’s market, we used to walk over every weekend. As I got to know the vendors, they would share their stories and backgrounds. I found it fascinating that someone could just whip up jam or baked goods in their kitchen, and then set up a tent at a local market. On the walks home, we used to joke about what we would make if we were going to sell at a farmer’s market. We always ran into the same obstacle, we would end up with the same one item for weeks while I obsessed over that, and then move on to another. May would be nothing but lemon bars as I played with crust vs lemon ratios, and then June would be 10 different chocolate chip cookie recipes.
When I stumbled upon macarons, I was instantly hooked. Here was something I could obsess over and still have an endless variety of options. After a summer spent baking shells, I started filling them with whatever was on hand, with varying degrees of success. Anything chocolate, usually a win. Sweet tomato jam? Not so much. When I shared my progress with a friend at the farmers market, and mentioned I was thinking of signing up for a market and seeing how it went, he invited me to join him at an event to see how I liked the actual experience before jumping in.
As it turned out, I loved the experience of the markets. But neither I nor the macarons enjoyed the unpredictability of Michigan’s weather. After weighing a number of options, I moved to a pop up based business, which eventually led to the brick and mortar in Plymouth’s Old Village.
Adina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
As a self taught baker, I didn’t grow up dreaming of cakes and cookies and whatnot. After an out of state move, I found myself with time to fill once the school year resumed. Cooking was the logical answer, as it got me out of the house exploring grocery stores and farmers markets, and made it easy to have dinner together as a family.
Turns out, I’m a decent cook but a better baker, and spending so much time with fresh ingredients made store bought desserts far more disappointing. I was finding a world of difference between freshly made, and baked good that were made to extend shelf life.
One of the things I’m most proud of here at the shop is that I’ve been able to avoid some of the time and money saving shortcuts like canned fillings and premade doughs. Everything is made from scratch, without any preservatives, and with quality ingredients. After opening the shop, I’ve been able to add more products, following the same path. Pastries and confections that can be made with whole ingredients, and have the potential for endless varieties and flavors. The shop currently offer French macarons, sea salt caramels, marshmallows, hot cocoa mix, and a rotating variety of other baked items.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I think the answer is the same for all of us right now. Pre-pandemic was a completely different landscape, and the ideas and strategy I had when starting this business were not going to work in the midst of covid and it’s impact. Having relied on events and walk-in traffic for the bulk of sales, those options disappeared overnight. The restrictions that followed forced all of us to adapt, and rethink how we were operating.
I took time to rethink my website and focus on online sales and shipping, as well as build up the wholesale side of the business. I also had to implement online ordering/curbside pickup as quickly as possible. While 2020 was certainly filled with stress and uncertainly, it also brought me back to the problem solving and adapting I enjoyed when I started the business.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn over the course of this business has been to set boundaries. Unlearning the natural inclination to say yes to every request or answer every question is an ongoing process, but it’s important to realize that not everyone has the same goal as I do, or the same intentions. Well meaning as most people are, we’re all on different paths, with different goals.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theblukitchenmi.com
- Instagram: theblukitchen
- Facebook: the Blu Kitchen