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

Jondell, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

Friends and family were my first supporters. If it wasn’t for their years of taste testing, feedback, and encouragement, I would not have started my marshmallow business. It was never in my “plan.” They gave me the courage it took to take the leap!

Then, once I started my business, they were the first to make orders and share my posts with their friends. Word of mouth is so important for a micro-business like mine, and for every good review they gave me online, it helped me build and expand my customer base. I still like to gift them birthday or special occasion marshmallows because I wouldn’t have grown my business the way I did without them… and also, just because they are my friends.

As far as drawing the line, I’ll let my friends and family know when I have sales, but we talk about so much more than just marshmallows. I’m not just in their DMs pushing sales. It feels “icky” to me when someone only messages me to talk about what they are selling, and I never want to make anyone else feel that way.
I truly believe in building relationships with people. My full time job is in mental health, and I know there’s so much power in connection. I try to connect with my friends and customers about more than just sales. I think that’s so important. Tell me about your kids’ new haircuts or your dog’s first play date. Show me all the photos from your most recent vacation! While it’s nice to make money from something I’m passionate about, the people aspect is what makes it worthwhile.

Jondell, 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 actually fell into marshmallow making quite accidentally. I am not a fan of store-bought marshmallows but really had a strong craving one day about 11 years ago. I knew I was a pretty good cook, so I thought, surely I could make a marshmallow. This was all before I knew anything about sugar science. I found a recipe online and adjusted it for my needs. Next thing you know, I’ve made a coconut marshmallow almond topped with semi-sweet chocolate and toasted coconut – probably one of the most amazing things I had ever eaten up until that point… fluffy, not dry like store-bought marshmallows, and packed with flavor. I was sold. I made that flavor a few times for friends and family, perfecting it each time. Eventually, I branched out and made a couple other flavors… very slowly. I would only make them around the holidays so there was never any rush to make a lot of different flavors.

Then in November 2020, I joined the Marshmallow Making Madness facebook group, and my marshmallow world expanded beyond belief. I learned about sugar science, different flavorings, all the ways I had broken “the rules” of marshmallow making (but it still worked!). People began encouraging me to sell my marshmallows. By February 2021, I launched my business – fluff marshmallow co. I picked that name because my favorite part of the process is watching the marshmallow fluff up – it turns from a clear liquid to thick, white, fluffy marshmallow! It feels like magic. Yes, I know how cheesy this sounds.

In the facebook group, people started recommending my recipe and coming to me for advice and expertise. I read every single post so I could learn how to improve my own recipe and processes… and I began to push myself out of my own comfort zone.

I started creating more complex and beautiful flavors, brownie bars, s’mores bars… the more indulgent or “extra,” the better. I think I’ve become known for not only my bold flavors but also boldness in how my marshmallows look. I want someone to look at my marshmallows and immediately feel joy.

I am proud that I have built this small business in a values driven way, with transparency, and in support of causes that mean a lot to me.

Currently, I’m in a “redesigning” stage of my business. I’ve had some challenges with severe and debilitating trigeminal nerve pain, so I’ve had to pull back from markets a bit, which was a very hard decision to make. I’m currently focused on custom orders and pre-order sales with exclusive and limited flavors! I’m still trying to keep it fun and interesting even if it has to be different than before. I’m also dabbling into the consulting world with marshmallows, trying to help people perfect their marshmallows and make their business profitable. I am also helping plan the 2nd Annual MallowCon, a convention for marshmallow makers and enthusiasts. It’s in September in Anaheim, CA. The first one last year was in North Carolina, and it was so fun! To have a supportive and helpful community like we do is a real gift.

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

I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuropathy in December 2021, right around the time my mom passed away and after I had been suffering for 18 months without knowing what was causing my excruciating pain.

I could have just thrown in the towel at that point. Though, a couple weeks before my mom died, I had made her some coconut marshmallows, her favorite. I knew she was proud of me and would want me to continue with something that brought me so much joy.

Over these last several years, I’ve had to pivot a couple times so that my business would work for me between my full time job and taking care of my health. It’s been a practice in flexibility and adaptability… that’s for sure. There have been lots of tears thinking I’d have to close at different times. But I’ve decided it’s ok to slow down. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. So I’m doing what I can to keep customers engaged, to keep myself passionate, and to take care of my health… truly a balance.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

For me, markets have been instrumental in finding new clients. Sometimes people are other business owners, some are there for another friend’s business, and some are just walking around on a nice Saturday. I engage with them all. Manyyyy people have never had a homemade marshmallow. We we talk about what it is. Everyone’s first question always is, “how do you even make a marshmallow?!” So then I get to tell them, describing every part in great detail, especially my favorite part about how it fluffs up! To watch people’s eyes light up hearing about it makes me so happy. Usually after that, they’ll say, “ok, I’ve just got to try one.” Annnnnd then guess who I get to see later in the day or at the next market? That brand new marshmallow fan!

I truly believe, and I cannot stress this enough, we have to really believe in our products and only sell things we’d be able to sell to the biggest foodie in our family. For me, that’s my twin sister. She is my absolute ideal customer, but she has high expectations if she’s going to pay a premium price for a gourmet treat. I make sure that she’d have no problem buying any item off my table. The bags must be neat, the marshmallows must be beautiful, and they absolutely must taste as good as they look. I want every customer to have that same experience.

Finally, since I am at every market, I know I have to fully embrace my brand. I want someone to see me and be like, oh, yeah, she’s the marshmallow lady! Haha. I see my products as extensions of me because so much of my creative energy goes there. I think I attract more customers to my booth because I AM my brand. It’s cohesive, colorful, upbeat, and fun.

Again, I like to think of building connections, not just building my customer base. Markets allow me to build those connections by bringing my true and authentic self there with all of my cute marshmallow cubes and bars.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fluff-marshmallow-co.square.site/
• Instagram: @fluffmarshmallowco
• Facebook: Https://www.facebook.com/fluffmarshmallowco
• Other: Tiktok: @fluffmarshmallowco