Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Scaccio.
Tina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
“If money wasn’t an issue what would you do?”. Unbeknownst to me this question would establish Close to Home Pasta Co., but at the time I was simply asking a question to get to know my future husband.
Close to Home Pasta Co is a husband and wife team; it was founded and run by both myself and my husband, Eric Clark. I asked Eric this question when we first started dating. While we were walking in our neighborhood, getting to know one another. Eric was deeply frustrated by unfulfilling work. To my surprise he answered immediately, “I’d like to start a business”.
He became deeply reflective when I asked, “what do you value, that meets an existing need?”.
Months later Eric had a plan for Close to Home Pasta Co. His idea was thoughtful and full of heart (having been continually prompted by my many thoughtful questions). I quickly joined him, and off we went jumping into the deep waters of starting a business.
We spent our weekends creating the recipes for our pasta and doing the necessary research for starting a food business and selling at farmer’s markets.
Then, we took a scary, gigantic (and absolute CRAZY) leap. We left our jobs to start our business. We didn’t have safety nets; neither of us came from high paying careers, both of us living paycheck to paycheck; we didn’t have savings, we didn’t have investors, and at the time we hadn’t even landed a farmer’s market!
Eric sold his car so that we could buy an old used minivan and with the left over money (I think it was maybe $1,500) we invested in a very small pasta roller. I look back on that first 6 months we were in business in awe; the risks we took were tremendous (gut wrenching actually).
But here’s what we did have: we had an amazing product, and we had NO CHOICE but to make it work. Putting ourselves in that fire meant we had to act smart and we had to make money. Having no savings or investors meant that we had to be smart with every cent that we put into the business (and how much we paid ourselves).
We’ve been in business for almost 8 years now! We sell our pasta at 4 farmer’s markets, and our customers absolutely love our pasta! We are still operating at a very small scale and are working to expand our capacity to maintain our fresh recipe and handcrafted quality and sell at a larger scale. This year we are expanding to sell in specialty food and grocery stores.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has not been smooth. There are years where the momentum propelled us tremendously forward and there were years where things just weren’t working out. Our greatest struggles are particular within our industry/product: packaging and shelf life (having a highly perishable product like ours is very challenging).
The only advice I could offer is build and invest in the right team. This takes more upfront money, but it’s worth every dime. Pay your team well. A good team will help create a solid foundation that will help sustain your business and its growth. Oh, and be prepared to work and hustle, running a business is not for the faint of heart. And don’t believe what you see on Instagram, it’s a filtered reality.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Close to Home Pasta Co. – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We specialize in a unique flavor profile of fresh pasta and hand rolled ravioli. Our difference is in our ingredients, we use all fresh, all natural ingredients: we hand grind fresh herbs, use fresh garlic, and fresh produce. Our pasta is vegan (no eggs!). And we only use Durum Wheat Semolina, no refined white flour.
We both come from Sicilian families, and that lineage of home cooked meals, from simple, high quality ingredients is at the pinnacle of our well-being. The ethos of Close to Home is exactly this, to promote home cooking and time spent around the table with your loved ones. Our pasta cooks in 1 minute and is easy to throw together with some olive oil and vegetables.
When I’ve been working to the bone wondering to myself “why am I still doing this?”, all it takes is for me to work 1 farmer’s market and to hear the countless stories of meals people made, or how our pasta saved them on a night when cooking a meal seemed impossible. I have a customer who has a family with 2 teenagers who says, “The only time I can get everyone to sit around the table and eat is when I make your pasta. You pasta literally brings us together”. And this is our IT. Bringing people together around the table is why we do what we do. For us, this is a vital component to living a healthy life.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
Hands down my favorite book is Notes from the Larder by Nigel Slater. How we writes about food, connectedness, the seasons, and all things kitchen often mirror the musings in my own heart and soul.
Whenever I get stuck in work I refer to the book Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel.
I turn to Your Kickstarter Sucks for a good laugh, and inevitably I stop taking life so seriously.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CloseToHomePasta.com
- Email: ContactUs@ClosetoHomePasta.com
- Instagram: @CloseToHomePasta
Image Credit:
Megan Morello
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