228: Wicked BOLD Chocolate – A Gamechanger in the Chocolate Business
Welcome to another week with the Startup Junkie crew! This week, Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine have a talk with Deric Cahill, founder and CEO of Wicked BOLD Chocolate. Wicked BOLD Chocolate is a chocolate company that only uses organic & ethically sourced cacao in their process and commits to ingredient transparency. They source their cacao through Belize leveraging their partners at Chocolate Alchemy. In this episode, you will get to hear about the story behind Wicked BOLD Chocolate, the importance of being resilient during tough times, and thoughts around growing and managing their supply chain moving forward. Tune in with us!
Shownotes
(2:07) Introducing Deric Cahill and Wicked BOLD Chocolate
(7:41) Utilizing farmer’s markets and building an online presence
(12:56) Changing the way chocolate is perceived
(14:53) Growing the brand and exploring new territory
(23:42) Planning for future growth
(30:52) Collaborating with other businesses
(32:47) Advice for the younger self
(36:36) Wrap up
Links
Wicked BOLD Chocolate Instagram
Quotes
“Everything we do as a company, I want to be rooted in that. Like giving back and like empowering people to live life to the boldest. That’s our motto.” (16:26)
“Even if your stop at Wicked BOLD is a year, three years, five years, whatever it is, you’re leaving us better than when you came to us, and we’re positioning you to do whatever the hell you want to do to be as happy as possible.” (16:48)
A Gamechanger in the Chocolate Business
For many people, quitting their day job to build a chocolate company from scratch sounds like a pipe dream. Deric Cahill made it his reality.
After a great deal of convincing from his health-conscious wife, Deric began studying the white labels on the back of packaged goods he was buying. As he became more particular about what foods and ingredients he would bring home, he started having difficulty finding chocolate that met his demands. Specifically, it was challenging to find chocolate that did not contain chemicals, fake natural flavors, and ingredients he could not pronounce. In the spirit of a true entrepreneur, Deric decided he would fix the problem himself.
After a few failed experiments, Deric continued rising through the sales ranks with his company. When his family moved from Florida to Texas, Deric and his wife Brooklynn decided it was time to buy the necessary equipment to get their dream of running a chocolate company off the ground. And thus, Wicked BOLD Chocolate was born.
They began making chocolate and selling it at their local farmers’ market, and since then, they have expanded to selling wholesale and direct to consumers through their website. Now, the business has plans to move to a larger production facility with a plant-based charcuterie restaurant concept in the front of house.
Throughout the process, Deric has hoped to market chocolate in a different light. When he first observed and dissected chocolate marketing, he noticed that it was typically marketed as effeminate. From women in silk robes dancing towards a bag of chocolate to a bubble bath that screamed elegant and smooth, it was apparent that chocolate was marketed towards women. While there is nothing wrong with that, Deric desired to market his chocolate to an audience that looked like his family: scrappy. He wanted chocolate produced by scrappy people, for scrappy people.
While Deric and Brooklynn live many people’s dream, the way they treat their business and employees is truly inspiring. They aim to create a culture within their company that inspires a movement.
“Everything we do as a company, I want to be rooted in that. Like giving back and like empowering people to live life to the boldest. That’s our motto.” (16:26)
They invest in their employees, and they prioritize helping their employees achieve their goals. It is evident that they want to help their employees leave better than they came.
“Even if your stop at Wicked BOLD is a year, three years, five years, whatever it is, you’re leaving us better than when you came to us, and we’re positioning you to do whatever the hell you want to do to be as happy as possible.” (16:48)
Growing companies like Wicked BOLD Chocolate are a powerful example of what can happen when you follow your entrepreneurial spirit and aspire to solve problems you see in the world.
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