Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Estelle Barth, Owner of Strega Provisions, located in Brooklyn, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Strega Provisions provides specialty ingredients to restaurants across New York City and has recently opened an online retail store. The company began from the founder’s passion for discovering where products are from and learning about each ingredient’s farming origins. Strega Provisions works directly with local, regional, and international farmers to bring all chefs the very best ingredients.
Our team heavily researches the products we offer, from where and how each item grows to its unique history and how each ingredient is naturally farmed. We believe that having a deep understanding of an item’s source is key to finding products that taste simply amazing.
Tell us about yourself
Salut! I actually began my career studying architecture in France and worked in restaurants to pay for my tuition. Then I moved to the United States and continued my journey in the restaurant industry. I worked in architecture and as a waitress in New York for a few years but eventually began working in the restaurant industry full time. I simply love food–especially food that uses great products. After making more connections in the restaurant industry, I took a job as a truffle importer with a company in France and worked there for several years.
I found myself wanting to learn more about other specialty ingredients, which is why I started my own business, Strega Provisions. Now, my team works with local, regional, and international farmers and gatherers to supply all types of specialty ingredients! I love seeing the natural colors of tomatoes, smelling the earth with black winter truffles, tasting high-quality Italian olive oil, and discovering how chefs create and transform products. Basically, I love everything that great food allows you to experience.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
One of my biggest accomplishments is creating a business that I love. While I was in my architecture career, I found that I was missing the ability to fully be creative in my work. Creating Strega Provisions has allowed me to actively make creative choices and grow the business into more than sourcing and delivering specialty products. Strega Provisions represents the concept that people can enjoy fresh ingredients in urban spaces—that farm-fresh ingredients can come to you. Hearing a customer speak about the joys of fresh arugula in a salad or using peaches to create a sweet-tart always makes my day bright.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the biggest challenges in my line of business is also one of the most rewarding pieces. It is often difficult to source particular ingredients for chefs, from specialty berries and peppers grown in Madagascar to specific salts harvested in France. We recently worked to find very particular olive oil for our customers, but it was an extremely difficult process that included vast amounts of research, taste tests all over Europe, farmer interviews, and more. When we finally found the perfect olive oil from a small farm in Italy, we knew it was the one. I was so happy! We probably tasted over 50 different varieties of olive oil before finding the perfect bottle for our wholesale and retail customers. While it is often challenging to find the best ingredients, nothing beats the feeling of finally discovering exactly what you were looking for.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
The most important piece of advice I can give to new business owners is that you should love what you do. Owning your own business is a difficult and incredible process that requires countless hours of work, which is why you should enjoy what business you start. It is also important to be adventurous and unafraid to take risks. If you work hard and believe in your business, success will follow.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://stregaprovisions.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stregaprovisions/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stregaprovisions/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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