Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Luis Gramajo, founder of Wunderkeks, located in Austin, TX, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Wunderkeks was founded in 2012 in Guatemala City on the idea that childlike joy is a value to uphold. Its mission statement is to nurture the inner child.
We make cookies because they make us happy. And, sure, who's not happy with a cookie? But for us, coming from a... not so LGBTQ-friendly place like our home country, the joy a cookie could bring was, at certain times in our lives, literally life-saving.
What can we say about our customers? She's in her 20's, a career woman, is always on top of trends, she is selective in which ones she follows.
What she eats, wears and especially GIFTS is laden with meaning, and she uses it to signal her values*. She's playful, does not take herself too seriously, and loves to be around kids, though she doesn't necessarily have/wants her own. So when she purchases, it's either aligned with her values or generic.
Tell us about yourself
We packed two suitcases and four dogs and came to Austin three years ago, leaving our home country, Guatemala, looking for a place where we could live our lives on our terms and have our marriage be an actual marriage. We did the Farmer's Markets in Austin for the first year, as we tested our product. When the pandemic hit, we pivoted into e-commerce as a means of survival, learning the job as we went.
LUIS GRAMAJO (he/him)
Recipe developer extraordinaire and our people's person. He has developed our media outreach into what it is now and created our brand's look with his photography. He has a background in CPG, running supermarket brands in the skincare and food industry across Central America.
HANS SCHREI (he/him)
Became a DTC operator and marketer overnight when the pandemic demanded it of him. He's in charge of our e-commerce operation, including fulfillment, acquisition, and retention. He has a background in CPG as well, running mass-market brands in healthcare across Central America and the Caribbean.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Taking our business to the next level, from a Farmers Market stand to a multi-million dollar business!!!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
You don't have free time; you never stop thinking about your business. For us, access to financing, because we're here on an entrepreneur visa, the access to money that we have is high interests and short-term conditions. As you can imagine, that's a very tough situation to be in.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
Be passionate about what you want to do, know that it will be hard, and you'll want to drop the towel very often and never take off your eyes from your business.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Yes, remember that it's ok to say "I don't know" and reach out for help; we're all learning constantly, learning from our mistakes, and analyzing every angle to understand how you can make it better next time and always remember if we're an immigrant. Own queer business (that means double minority), and we're making it work; you can also do the same!!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://wunderkeks.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wunderkeksatx
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wunderkeks_atx/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wunderkeks
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-gramajo-7426422/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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