Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Barrett.
Erica is the Founder and CEO of Southern Culture Artisan Foods, a breakfast lifestyle brand she started after visiting the grocery store and seeing that there was a lack of quality breakfast products on the shelf.
She is most notably known for appearing on the Emmy Award Winning Show “ABC’s Shark Tank” where she went head to head with the Sharks and received two offers; one from Kevin O’Leary and one from Barbara Corcoran and ultimately landed a deal with Barbara Corcoran on the show. Erica’s approach to food is to always create the best version of what you love.
Southern Culture Artisan Foods is a breakfast lifestyle brand that manufactures and sells all-natural, non-GMO food products which include flavored pancake and waffle mixes, flavored grits, bacon rubs and more. The company was created with the mission to inspire and re-invent breakfast. In just over three years, Southern Culture has grown into a 3,000 store operation featuring key customers like Target, Safeway, Kroger, Whole Foods, Dillard’s and Nordstrom. Southern Culture has also been featured in O Magazine, on the OWN network and on ABC’s Shark Tank.
The product line includes all-natural pancake and waffle mixes, bacon rubs, maple syrup and grits. The products differentiate themselves from other traditional breakfast products with organic and all-natural ingredients, unique flavors and a non-GMO verification. The pancake and waffle mixes are in a high-growth stage thanks to a strong, diversified customer base which includes four key customers: Target, Kroger, Safeway and Harris Teeter. In addition to those accounts, Southern Culture has over 500 independent gourmet shops and grocers that sell the products.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being an entrepreneur is rough. There are a lot of emotional highs and lows. Wins and losses as well. There have been lots of struggles. Hiring a team can be difficult, but after a while, I’ve been able to get it right. Capital, when you are bootstrapped can also be very difficult. It has taken me years to find capital and the right partners. The hardest part overall is every day figuring it out. I finally feel I have a good hold on the food industry and it feels good now.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Southern Culture – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Southern Culture Artisan Foods is a breakfast lifestyle brand that manufactures and sells all-natural, non-GMO food products which include flavored pancake and waffle mixes, flavored grits, bacon rubs and more. The company was created with the mission to inspire and re-invent breakfast. In just over three years, Southern Culture has grown into a 3,000 store operation featuring key customers like Target, Safeway, Kroger, Whole Foods, Dillard’s and Nordstrom. Southern Culture has also been featured in O Magazine, on the OWN network and on ABC’s Shark Tank, CNBC’s The Profit.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Southern Culture plans to continue to expand in grocery and develop new products… It’s always fun growing a product line and watching people make fun dishes at home.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.southernculturefoods.com
- Instagram: @southernculturefoods
- Facebook: southernculturefoods
- Twitter: @socufoods
Image Credit:
Victor Protasio
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