Nudi Pasta.The start-up of a fresh pasta business.

Any person that knows me well, knows I'm always thinking of new business ideas. I could probably say I've been doing businesses (or at least researching about them) all my life. It started in kinder garden with silk worms, $1 each, 2nd grade handmade hair pins, 3rd grade a small bank where my parents would "deposit" pennies, a monthly newspaper that covered 4th grader things like school crushes, then I got more fancy with holiday presents like brownies and cookies all nicely packed and everything.

Sharing some home-made brownies in Kinder garden.

My mom was always very supportive, and I thank her for taking me to buy ingredients, bulk colorful necklace beads, and waking up with me at 5 am to pack cookies in nice little bags to sell that morning in school.

My dad, even though he never woke up at 5, he always listened to my ideas and inspired me in a way that felt like I could do anything I wanted.

Now I'm grown up and it's time to start new adventures. But this time, with a bigger market than 5th graders. So through this blog I'll share with you my story, of the start-up of a small artisan pasta business, everything from ups and downs, and maybe you can one day become part of my adventure too.

Karla



9.10.08

1st visit, Hato Rey's Organic Farmer's Market

So, I've started looking for ingredients, packaging and everything else needed to start making my pasta. It is of greatest importance for me to find the best quality ingredients that I can. Thus, I've done egg-hunts (for real, see related post), talked (or better say, tried to talk) to people in Italy and last Sunday went to meet Jessica, an organic baker who sells in Hato Rey's Organic Market.

pic taken from: www.energiaverdepr.com

The organic market in Hato Rey gets together every first and third of the month. Besides, the typical Puerto Rican fruits and veggies that you can find everywhere else (except they were organic), what mostly made it different was all the other organic products hand-made by other Puerto Ricans. You could see organic brownies, hummus, breads, Tati' son giving massages, soaps and jellies.

On my arrival, first thing, the nice green-topped carrots got me all excited. Later I see a small tent with bakery products; there was Jessica, baby and husband. Previously we had exchanged emails on how to get wholesale prices on organic flour and when I finally met her she gave me all details on how to become part of the Organic Cooperative. Thanks Jessica; seems like I'm getting a step closer.

Later met a farmer from Orocovis which usually brings organic eggs, but to my dismay told me:

"No eggs today... the neighbor's dogs ate our chickens!".

Since my pasta will have sooooo many eggs, the usual 100 eggs he brings won't be enough. But he said not to worry, "he can always just buy more chickens and thrown them in".

So, the results of my visit:

1.closer to finding wholesale organic flour.... check!

2. making some local organic networking..... check!

3. finding potential organic egg distributor.... check!

So,

---- "ready to go Phil, Royce and Troy?"----

---- "Yeap"----

---- "Oh, wait a second."----

4. buy delicious, dark, rich organic brownie for dessert.... CHECK!!!
Posted by Karla at 2:18 PM

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