We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Viviana Sarmiento a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Viviana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

One of the steps I knew I had, and wanted to take was to be in a Farmers Market. When I found out what was needed in order to be qualified for application, I freaked out. All the extra paperwork, permits, insurance, etc on top of all I had done before to be able to work out of my home kitchen, which is how I started my business 3 years ago, felt overwhelming to say the least. Here is where an angel showed up for us, Keith, an Irish sweet soul with a heart of gold who sells bread and pastries at the Atwater Village Farmers Market. My husband and I had just finished talking to the manager at that market hoping to get in and on our way out we decided to get some bread from Keith and when we told him we were looking to get in the markets to sell my nut butters & granola he didn’t think twice to give us his phone number and said to call him the next day. He helped us to get into a new market in Long Beach, gave us advice and even gifted us one of his tents which are so expensive especially when you are just starting out. Thanks to him we were able to train ourselves and the product to be in front of more people besides our friends and family. We got the experience and confidence to bring to the Brentwood Farmers Market which is the best one in LA. We have been going every Sunday to Brentwood since December 2022 and I can not be more grateful for all the sweet and loyal clients, fellow vendors and now friends we have met there. Thank you Kieth, you did so much for us, I will never forget your kindness.

Viviana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a chef and what I love the most about my job is seeing my clients faces when trying our organic and adaptogenic nut butters & granola. Is isn’t just he quality of the ingredients but also the respect for the product itself and for all of us who consume it on a daily basis that make The Kind Dessert unique. Free of fillers, sugar, gums, additives and everything else our body doesn’t need. This is exactly why I stared this company, because I got tired of trying to find clean, tasty, nutritious snacks so I did it for myself and now for everyone else who wants to treat themselves.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

My journey may seem slow for some, and fast for others but one thing I’m really proud and grateful for is the natural rhythm of my business. It has been at my own pace, without sacrificing my mental and physical health. I manufacture all my products, I care so much about the quality of each ingredient, the process and the energy I put into them every time I’m at my now commercial kitchen. I started with a home food processor and along the way I learned about other machines and processes in order to offer my clients the very best. I’m constantly learning about production times, inventory management, quality control, etc. I do my best to consciously enjoy these tasks as I know soon I will have to delegate and I want for people who become part of this dream to enjoy it too.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The farmers market has been an amazing opportunity to know my clients, how they are, how they look, how they talk, what they are trying to solve, how they use the product, what else they would like, etc. So the most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been being out there talking to them making eye contact and connecting with the human being behind the transaction. I know about their jobs, family, dogs, hobbies and that creates a real community that will follow you wherever you and your brand go

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thekinddessert.com
• Instagram: @the.kind.dessert