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

Hi Maria, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Food has always been my passion and it started when I was just a little girl watching & helping my mom in the kitchen (she’s a great cook). I went on to attend culinary school and have always worked in food service and enjoyed cooking and baking. In 2021 my mother suffered a stroke which made me want to change my eating habits and become more healthy. I started altering all of my recipes to plant based. It was important to me to make sure the texture and flavor was comparable to what I offered before. It was a fun process of course having that creative liscense and tying it in with the research to convert my recipes. I also love getting requests from my customers to come up with new items and getting their input; it has actually helped to create some of my best selling items!

Maria, 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 am Maria Jones, owner and baker of Very Vegan. I have always loved to cook, however since a little before the onset of the pandemic I gravitated more toward baking. And since 2021 I made a shift to offering Vegan desserts. I pride myself for being able to take your favorite desserts and putting a plant based spin on them. I also accomdate many customers with allergen issues (ex. gluten, nuts, etc.) so that they can enjoy their favorite desserts too without worry. One of our best sellers is my specialty cheesecake which boasts such flavors as Banana Pudding, Strawberry Crunch, Peach Cobbler, Honeybun and the list goes on and on! We also have other delicious items such as our cupcakes (Mocha Almond Fudge is the customer fav), cookies, brownies, dipped strawberries and strawberry roses (just in time for Valentine’s or special occasions). We are mobile and accept orders via phone or by message on business social media outlets, however my items are also available at the Black Farmer’s Hub as well.

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

Social media without doubt has definitely been a great tool to engage the masses and build clientele. The key is to present the items honestly and to be open about the ingredients used. People like to know exactly what they’re getting. Taking advantage of vending opportunities has also helped to build my customer base as well. I like to provide samples so that people can experience first hand what I offer and just not take my word for it. It also helps that I’m face to face with the customer and can answer any questions they have.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think that the fact that I’m on my own journey with healthier eating has helped me to build my reputation within my market. I am very open and honest with what I produce. I also like to take the time to see exactly what people want and I also study the trends as well to see what potentially works with what I offer. Also, consistency is key when providing a great product. People know they are going to get a quality product each time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/_very_vegan1?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veryvegan1?mibextid=ZbWKwL