Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Becca Salmonson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Becca, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Becca’s Petites began out of love for my workout partner diagnosed with terminal cancer. Although I never intended to start a business when asked to create a snack that would nourish Kevin while undergoing chemotherapy treatments, little did I know I was well on that path. Kevin constantly craved sugary granolas, so I wanted to create something similar without all the over-processed junk and sugar added. I have a background in holistic nutrition, and I researched his type of cancer and knew what would be better for him – now I just had to put it together and make it taste great.⁠ After much trial and error, I finally concocted a version I knew he’d enjoy.

Kevin was too weak to join our yoga HIIT class but still did private lessons at our yoga studio, so every other day, I would leave a jar of snack mix on the counter for him. People constantly inquired about the jar but knew better than to touch it, let alone attempt to try what was inside. One day, I offered to make a giant batch and bring it in to share after class. I was overwhelmed by the reaction of my friends and fellow yogis. They loved the snack mix and asked if I would consider making it for them to purchase as well. Despite being approached daily with their requests, I still had no desire to make and sell the snack mix since it was made specifically for Kevin. Call me sentimental, but I felt the snack mix was just for him.

My thought process changed when Kevin passed on October 25th, 2015. So, that was the day I decided to start a business and use the proceeds towards his son’s education fund for college. It was never about money, rather it was a special way to remember and honor the memory of my friend. My mother passed from cancer as well, so I decided to honor her memory and French heritage with the name of my company and snack mixes.

Becca, 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’m Becca, the mastermind and solo operator behind Becca’s Petites, the “always nutty…never naughty” snack mix company based in Northern California. We handcraft better-for-you, nut-based snack mixes that are gluten, grain, and dairy free.

Although I’ve always been a hard-core foodie, I never thought I would actually start a food business. Growing up in the South, my dream as a little girl was to design airplanes. I started off studying aerospace engineering in college, and like in aerodynamics, through a series of twists and turns, I ended up in a different direction and began designing kid’s clothing for The Gap, Inc.

I left the retail & fashion industry behind when I had my third kid and started a consulting gig. In order to save time and eat healthier, I would bring my lunch instead of going to the work cafe, and my colleagues would inquire about what I was eating. Not long after, I began making healthier lunches for most of my co-workers and revamping and “healthifying” some of their beloved family recipes. This interaction sparked an entirely different career path for me, as I became a personal “chef.” Many of my clients had diet-specific needs, so I attended the IIN, a holistic nutrition school based in New York, to better understand how to service them.

As a solo operator, you have to be a determined, tenacious, persistent, and creative problem-solver, so, as a mom, I am most proud that I can show my kids how to go after a goal and succeed.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Resiliency is key to surviving the packaged food industry. There are many highs and lows, so you just have to ride the waves.

One of the biggest hurdles I encountered was when my copacker suddenly decided to put on hold the co-packing side of his business due to Covid-19. At the time, I was in The Fresh Market, a higher-end grocery chain with over 160 stores. I had just received a purchase order for over 1000 cases of snack mix and needed to fulfill the order within 3 weeks. I researched local commercial kitchens and found one that was half an hour away from my house. I created a spreadsheet to determine the ingredients needed to make the order, quickly procured the ingredients from local suppliers, and feverishly got to work in the kitchen. It took me over four days to complete and pack the order, but I got the job done with the help of my amazing husband. To say it was overwhelming and incredibly challenging would be a gross understatement, but nonetheless, with determination, perseverance, tenacity, a few tears, and some creative problem-solving, I got the job done.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Since I started my business as a cottage business, I knew how to manufacture my products out of my house in small batches. I renovated my garage and purchased a 6-tray Blodgett oven for the job. After a year, I realized I would not be able to keep up with the production and needed to find a copacker. I researched copackers and similar brands in my area to find out where they manufactured their products. I visited four to five facilities in Northern California and completed R&D with two different facilities. I was all set to partner and start production with one in particular when they unexpectedly became fully committed to a certain cauliflower company. So, unfortunately, it was back to the co-packing drawing board for me. Luckily, I found a local company that was willing to do co-packing for me on a trial basis in Richmond California, so thus, my venture into co-manufacturing began. It’s a scary process because your product is like your baby, and you cannot entrust your baby to just anyone. So many factors come into play, such as the safety and cleanliness of the facility, as well as the philosophy and mission of the business – it’s like a marriage and all parties involved have to be on the same page in order to succeed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beccaspetites.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccaspetites/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beccaspetites
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beccaspetites/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/beccaspetites

Image Credits
kiki romanik, becca salmonon, sean malone, carole fontaine