When Michelle Lewis launched Spoonable, a decadent line of caramel sauces, in September 2011, she knew it was a risk, as all entrepreneurial endeavors are, but with one failed startup already under her belt, she had a better idea of what not to do this second time around.
The online art gallery where Lewis was working folded after September 11, so she found herself with a lot time and a lack of income. She started making food for her dog, Scooter Mae, and admittedly on the fly decided to brand ScooterFood in 2006.
But ScooterFood was not sustainable. It was a perishable product, meaning it would not last long on shelves. This also made shipping expensive—especially in summer months that required extra dry ice, and with it, extra weight.
“The logistics of it makes me shudder even now,” Lewis said. So in September 2011, soon after closing the book on ScooterFood, she launched Spoonable.
“When I looked at caramel, I was like ‘this is just easier’,” Lewis said. “It’s shelf stable, and easy for a small company to handle.”
Spoonable is doing well—the product is available in 65 stores nationwide, but Lewis would like to grow, past 500 stores. Recently, she hired two kitchen staff as the demand has expanded beyond her.
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