We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley McGee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
My mission with Taste of Palisade is to highlight local businesses and farms in the area. I like having a platform to remind tourists visiting the area how important it is to give back to the community by supporting the businesses and farms that are showcased on my boards.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have lived in Colorado for 22 years and always loved all forms of entertaining. I have had a career in Event Production and Sales & Marketing for 22 years. Being a southern girl from Alabama, hospitality is in my nature. Creating pieces of art as conversation starters is what led me to the world of charcuterie platters. I believe food brings people together and helping people connect again feels very important right now.
So why start a business in Palisade? I noticed small businesses struggling during Covid and a few of my favorite ones had just completely given up. After doing some real soul searching about what I can offer to this unique community, while supporting small businesses, I created “Taste of Palisade” with the idea of using my platform to showcase other local businesses and farms in the Grand Valley of Colorado.
I am proud I found a way to support the boutique stores downtown, local farmers and surrounding small businesses with my small business. Most of the ingredients used on each board are locally sourced. Each business will be recognized with a list of products used and how you can purchase them locally.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think I built the reputation for Taste of Palisade as a connector for the community. Through my relationships with local farmers, local business owners and local purveyors, everyone knows that I will always try to highlight their businesses, any chance that Taste of Palisade is showcased. Recently I was asked to do an interview for International Women’s Month with the Fruita Chamber of Commerce. Instead of only showcasing my boards, I asked if we could take pictures at a local winery, Sauvage Spectrum, to showcase where my products are coveted most (winery tours). I also made sure that the journalist mentioned Ghost Rock Farm cheese, Decadence Gourmet, Nana’s Fruit & Jam Shack downtown, Blaine’s Farms and Clark Family Orchards. My business would be mediocre at best without these businesses so I am very thankful for their partnership.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I recently started a new job in global sales for global hotel brand. I quickly realized my travel schedule was not as reliable as my last position so I needed to dial back my marketing. It feels irresponsible to continously market a product that I cannot guarantee I am able to deliver at this point with my side hustle. For now, I have pivoted to guerilla marketing and word of mouth.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tasteofpalisade.com
- Instagram: thetasteofpalisade
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleymcgee1277/
- Other: https://ashleyopp77.wixsite.com/ashleymcgee
Image Credits
All belong to Taste of Palisade