We were lucky to catch up with Monica Hairston recently and have shared our conversation below.
Monica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
I named my business Oma’s Kitchen because my grandma created some of our recipes over 50 years ago with her German grandmother (Oma) who introduced her into the passion of cooking & baking which she passed down to me. So for me naming the business Oma’s Kitchen is paying homage to the 2 ladies that made it possible for us to create this business and share our family recipes with everyone.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Monica Hairston, I am the owner of Oma’s Kitchen. We specialize in a one of a kind dip that’s offered in 3 different spice levels and different kinds of pepper jelly. I have always had a passion for cooking and baking, coming from a family of chefs so this business started out of pure passion. The products we offer are one of a kind especially our dip. When customers see our dip they automatically assume it’s a salsa since it contains tomatoes but it actually falls in the category of a chutney. It’s the type of dip that you can eat on anything (it will become your favorite condiment) such as grilled chicken, rice bowl, burgers, fish, tacos, you can add it to your breakfast burrito, spaghetti sauce, chili or you can eat it directly out the jar with Tortilla chips! We are a family owned company that takes pride in using fresh, locally sourced produce and customers love that our dips are vegan, gluten free and keto friendly.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
Oma’s Kitchen started in March of 2022, when a dip that my grandma and I really enjoyed got discontinued. She mentioned to me that she has a similar recipe that she’s been cooking for 50 + years. After tweaking the original recipe and adding my own touch we made our 1st batch, It turned out we had a hidden gem on our hands. We took a leap of faith and decided to start a business. So I began doing research since I wasn’t sure how to approach the market. I gave samples to family and friends for some feedback. I then connected with my local NYS Farmers and Agriculture representative. She informed me that I needed to get the products approved as “Shelf Stable” by Cornell University Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture and to secure a commercial kitchen space. After a few weeks I received our approval and subleased a commercial kitchen at the Broadway Market, thats when we began manufacturing our product. Currently I have family members that volunteer to help out with washing, chopping and weighing our fresh produce, doing inventory, canning, labeling and vending at events. Things I have learned along the way are, create a business plan, it’s best to narrow down your target audience, all jars must have barcodes, nutrition facts and lot numbers/best by dates. Having an eye catching label makes a difference and one person can not do everything. Some jobs need to be delegated in order for the business to run as a well oiled machine. We had a lot of trial and errors such as jars, labels, kitchen space and what events were a good fit for us. When we first started we offered 2 sizes for each of our dips, which caused us to have different price points and needing to order multiple sizes of labels and lids. Eventually we discovered it would be more cost effective to have 1 size jar for all the dips, which lead to a consistent label order, inventory was easier, our cost for supplies reduced and the customers loved the new jars!
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
In May of 1996, a bond between a grandma and her granddaughter was created. As the years progressed, they formed an unbreakable relationship over cooking, baking, and much more. That bond and mutual passion has blossomed into a business to bring the seasonings, flavors and love from our family to yours. The person who helped me start this business is my grandma Donna, for as long as I could remembers she has always gardened, cooked, baked and canned her own jellies, sauces and vegetables. Growing up I loved helping her and my papa in the kitchen, she taught me how to bake from scratch, they both assisted in me learning how to cook (in addition to my parents who are chefs). Now that I am older cooking and baking brings me peace, its my happy place and a way for me to decompress. I love the expression on customers faces when they sample our dips because it’s not like anything they have tried before. They immediately start talking about all the things they can’t wait to try it on. If it were not for my grandma, Oma’s Kitchen never would have started.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: omaskitchen380
- Facebook: omaskitchen380
