We recently connected with Gabrielle Reed and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Gabrielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

Unlike conventional berry companies that follow a one-size-fits-all approach, Detroit Berry Company takes customization to the next level by providing completely custom designs and flavors.

We understands that individual preferences vary, and our approach reflects this understanding. Whether it’s a special occasion, corporate event, or personal celebration, customers can tailor the appearance of their berries to suit the theme or message they want to convey. Detroit Berry Company continues to push the envelope with our unique designs from children cartoons like Peppa Pig to floral bouquets and wedding favors.

In addition to custom designs, Detroit Berry Company pushes the envelope with our innovative flavors choices. Of course we offer the traditional chocolate flavors but customers love our Award Winning Banana Pudding Stuffed Berries and Fruit Nachos are our best sellers!

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?

As you know I’m Gabrielle Reed, owner and lead chocolatier at Detroit Berry Company. I was born and raised in Detroit. I went to Cass Tech for highschool – if you know you know. I never dreamed I’d be a business owner. I got my Masters in Business Administration and just knew I’d live a happy corporate life. I actually do really enjoy my 9-5 but I’m very thankful for my business as well.

Honestly, the first time I made a chocolate covered strawberry was in the middle of the night about 2 years ago. I was on one of my health kicks and I needed a snack that wouldn’t blow my diet. All I had was strawberries and chocolate chips and poof my first chocolate covered strawberry was made.

We’ve grown so much since that night and now offer a variety of treats and flavors. In addition to chocolate covered strawberries, we offer chocolate covered apples, Oreos, and pretzel sticks in addition to a variety of other treats when requested. It’s our unique flavors and creative designs that make us Detroit’s favorite berries. Our banana pudding stuffed berries and fruit nachos are a big hit around the city.

Besides making treats I love hosting corporate and private events. We bring the chocolate and treats, you bring the people. During our corporate events teams laugh, bond, and make custom themed treats.

In February we’re hosting our very first event! Valentine’s Day Weekend (February 17) we’re hosting a “Dip & Sip” at the Detroit Pistons Performance Center where couples will dip their own strawberries and fruit while enjoying music and guided wine tasting.

I’m doing my best to bring unique treats and experiences to Detroit one berry at a time.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

The next big thing on my agenda is to increase brand loyalty and really foster a community with my customers. I recently started sending text and email campaigns to my subscribers who I affectionately call Berry Boos. Sending marketing via text and email has helped with exposing past customers to current sales and events. I plan to post more frequently on our Facebook and Instagram pages to help build a connection with our audience.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the habit of preparing for the worst and start embracing a positive outlook from step one. Often times as business owners and just as a person in general we have the habit of thinking about the worst case scenario. I know it’s meant to be positive and a sign of prepardness but in all actuality it causes us to stifle our creativity and unconsciously think about all the negative things that could go wrong. I’ve learned that sometimes preparing for the worst discourages me from doing my best and sometimes discourages me from trying new things at all.

I’m still working on this but I’m trying my hardest to stop planing for the worst and start expecting the best.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.DetroitBerryCompany.com
• Instagram: @DetroitBerryCo
• Facebook: Detroit Berry Company