We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katie Rhodes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Katie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I was the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college, growing up in a low income household with parents working multiple jobs to make ends meet. I watched as my parents worked themselves to the bone at unfulfilling jobs but continued to struggle regardless. I felt hopeless to break this cycle and create my own path until I established TogaNola. Becoming an entrepreneur gave me a sense of independence, purpose and empowerment. It gave me the confidence to pursue other non-traditional goals for a female. Over time the business transitioned its role in my life further, it became a way for me to demonstrate the principles and morals I believe to be necessary for a healthy community and local economy in a tangible way. It allowed me to emulate the aspects of business I believe to be productive and build relationships. This is the reason we are committed to sourcing our ingredients locally from small producers and distributors, we use only biodegradable plant-cellulose based packaging, and we offer numerous diet and allergy friendly options for those that otherwise struggle to find nutritious food options.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
At TogaNola Snack Company, we’re an artisan food company with a focus on convenient, locally made foods for outdoor adventurers. We strive to provide nutritious adventure snacks that are handcrafted, small batch made, naturally sweetened and created with responsibly sourced ingredients. TogaNola is deeply committed to sourcing ingredients from small, local producers and distributors with responsible business practices. This means that consumers can rest assured that their purchase is a positive choice for both the environment and the local community. By integrating sustainable plant-based packaging, we commit to sustainable business practices without compromise. TogaNola products are made only with locally produced natural sweeteners such as raw honey or maple syrup. Not too much, just enough! We also recognize that dietary choices are a very personal matter; whether derived from allergies, morals or in pursuit of better health. Therefore, all TogaNola products are dairy, gluten, refined sugar and soy free. Nut-free and vegan choices are also available. There’s a reason that mom’s casserole and grandma’s pie always tastes better than store bought –food made with care and love will always be superior to factory produced products. Every batch of TogaNola is handmade and packaged by the owners with plenty of added love! We’ve also recently begun to produce Dehydrated Adventure Meals, all tested and perfected extensively in the backcountry. Our meals are highly nutritious, containing up to 50 grams of protein per serving. We’re also proud to offer our meals in odor-free packaging to reduce the potential for animal encounters. Additionally, our meals can be hot or cold soaked, removing the need to carry a heavy stove and making them a great emergency meal option.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
After opening TogaNola in 2015, I struggled to find business success. There was demand for the product but because I was working more than full time at a toxic job and dealing with cycles of depression and anxiety, it was a struggle to produce productive quantities of product and engage with customers. I knew the business had significant potential and had a loyal customer base but with no background in business and no entrepreneurs in my personal life to turn to for advice I continued to struggle. I ultimately allowed doubt to overcome me so significantly that I decided in 2017 to close the business. I felt like a failure to myself and to my customers. In hindsight, temporarily closing the business and being forced to face that failure also forced me to face the one thing I had been avoiding most – myself. It was during this time that I had to reckon with my mental health struggles, knowing it was the only way to become the best version of myself and a successful business owner. I transitioned away from my toxic job and began hiking regularly during this time which gave me the free time and mental capacity to begin again and reopen the business with my husband and business partners support in 2019. We have been growing the business every year since!
We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.
While we offer our products via an online store, a large majority of our sales occur during face-to-face interactions at local farmers markets and events. While this is certainly a more labor intensive way to do business, it’s also a more personal and educational way to interact with our customers and brand loyalty is the natural progression.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.toganolasnackcompany.com/
- Instagram: @toganola
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toganola/
Image Credits
N/A