In this feature, we gathered 16 young business owners in the food, farm or beverage industry that are establishing a brand in the FLX. We sent each one the same list of 10 questions. Below are their answers. We hope you enjoy learning about and supporting these local entrepreneurs!
Samantha Abrams of Emmy’s Organics
1.First FLX beer or wine you had? One of the ciders from Bellwether Hard Cider. My first job out of college was working in their tasting room!
2. What’s your biggest challenge in being a young business owner in the FLX? Travel. It’s always tough doing a lot of travel since we don’t have many direct flights or a train…it’s worth it though! It’s also challenging to find professional people with direct industry experience here.
3. What’s your favorite local comfort food after a long, day of hard work? Gluten-Free Peanut Lime Noodles from Macro Mamas or a Laurie’s Grain-Free muffin.
4. Favorite piece of business advice? Start before you’re ready.
5. Why do you run your business here? Because our life is here and we love the community. It’s been extremely rewarding to provide jobs here as well.
6. What did you want to be when you were a kid? A food stylist or theatre producer.
7. At what age do you think you will retire? Never. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully retire but I will probably change my lifestyle as I get older.
8. Describe yourself in 3 words. Kind, Enthusiastic, Creative.
9. Favorite place to eat in the FLX? Just A Taste or Stonecat.
10. Local businessperson who inspires you? John Guttridge and Jan Norman…they both have such a strong commitment to our community.
A version of this article originally appeared in the May/June 2019 edition of the magazine.
