Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Salvatore Pluchino, CEO of Seligo, located in New York, NY, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Seligo is a functional food brand focused on traditional Sicilian unrefined food. When we started Seligo, we set on a mission to make the first line of 100% unrefined artisanal gourmet products, sourcing raw ingredients exclusively from small Sicilian family-run farms and artisanal makers. The inspiration came from what we like to call a "back-to-the-origin point of view," inherited from our unique Sicilian heritage.
Making unrefined food means enhancing and preserving the nourishment of the raw ingredients as much as possible, celebrating craftsmanship, traditional processes, and environmentally responsible choices. We decided to embrace the process with no compromises, ever. The result is a true revolution.
Looking back at the traditional Sicilian practices to make and preserve food drives us to pioneer a powerful radical shift in how food is produced, understood, and consumed. People who buy Seligo's products decide to celebrate and experience the benefits of delicious, high-nourishment, and unrefined natural food.
Tell us about yourself
At the end of my studies in Aerospace engineering, I decided to make a U-turn in my life and start a business that would connect me back to my Sicilian heritage and culture. Immediately, I felt like being on a mission more than a business owner. Sharing the slow-living culture and incredibly healthy Mediterranean lifestyle with other people never felt like a job to me. So, it was pretty natural and easy to wake up and push the mission and vision of the brand a step forward every day.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Sharing unknown and crucial information about simple pantry staples is an accomplishment that makes me proud of my business. I collaborate every day with people who dedicate their lives to producing pure excellence, and their main interest is sharing healthy food to do good for others and the planet. When you spend time with people who are not acting only to accumulate wealth, you can understand the power of true passion.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Being loyal to your principles and truthful to others should be the number one rule in any business, especially in the food industry. Often, I get frustrated when I see other companies achieving commercial success using marketing traps and, unfortunately, lies. But I learned that if I remain honest with my mission, the rewards for hard and ethical work will come.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Always go where you and your work are valued and appreciated. Your target audience will buy from you if you deliver a great product and it's priced correctly for the market.
- Resilience is vital to making your business a success. Define your mission. Define what success means for you and push it through every day.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.seligoexperience.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seligoexperience/
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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