Meet Cheryl Stoner

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheryl Stoner.

Cheryl, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It’s been a wild ride! I was born and raised in the mid-west, then took off to Southern California in the 70’s with my boyfriend who is now my husband of 42 years.

We call Oceanside, CA home. We raised our family here and still love our community.

After school, and working in the graphic design field for years, I started my own design company and prospered in corporate marketing for over 30 years.

I’ve enjoyed volunteering throughout the years including 12 years on the steering committee for the Seagaze Concert Series and of course with our son’s schools and helping to start the scout troop at Mission San Luis Rey.

5 years after retiring CSDesign, I decided to do something completely different and Cheryl’s Caramels was born!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Keeping up with demand has been a challenge!

When you create your own product one micro-batch at a time, there is no rushing through. Each batch takes time and patience.

You can’t just call and order more products – you roll up your sleeves and start cooking, wrapping and packaging.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Never once in my life did I say “Someday I’m going to sell caramel candy at craft fairs”. Never once. But doors open and you’re lucky enough to walk through.

I’ve been making my amazing, homemade caramels for decades and giving them as gifts. With encouragement and support from my family and friends, I pursued sharing my caramels with the public and selling them exclusively through markets and fairs in San Diego County.

Due to California’s Cottage Foods Law, I was able to continue making my goodies at home, with all the permits and licensing needed to conduct this type of business legally. It took many, many months of “jumping through hoops”. All the hard work and support resulted in the Cheryl’s Caramels that you see today.

My 30 years of experience in design and marketing have been a huge advantage as I do all my own packaging, advertising and branding. Free exposure on social media sites is a real plus. It’s really cool to be able to “cross-promote” events and fellow vendors.

But the only thing that really matters is the caramels.

I handcraft each and everyone using only the best ingredients. They to just to die for and I make many different and unique seasonal flavors. Folks enjoy tasting all the caramels and are always surprised as to how wonderful homemade caramels taste. It’s very rewarding for me to see the initial look of surprise, usually accompanied by “Oh my! those are so good”.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Each and every time someone tastes one of my homemade caramels and acknowledges the goodness of something real.

Most kids (and adults) have never tried a candy that does not contain chemicals, preservatives or paraffin wax.

The look on their faces is priceless to me and makes all the hard work worthwhile. I thrive on that!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cherylscaramels.com
• Phone: (760) 330-0883
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherylscaramels/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CherylsCaramels/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/CherylsCaramels

Image Credit:
Cheryl Stoner

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