sweetriot blog - cacao | culture | cool!

sweetriot = talented people like Nina.

sweetriot now has 4 full-time people.  Whew.  There is no way I'm ever going to remember every one's full-time start date but Nina's I sure do!  May Day!  May Day!

Nina was our first full-time rioter (FT employee).  Nina and I started out by going to the Fancy Food Show in Chicago on May 1 and 2.  Upon our return to NYC, it was our first 1st official week at the sweetriot Starbuck's office.   

Nina found sweetriot through Craig's List before it was even named as a company.  She started working with us in September 2004 and joined full time -- May 1, 2005.  She is an amazing person and a critical member of the sweetriot family.  She is extremely creative and has worked on everything from our warehouse set up to our customer servicing to our demo scheduling to our website content to our newsletter creation and more!!!

Happy Anniversary, Nina!  You are a Very Important Rioter (VIR) to the 10th degree!

Thanks for joining the riot!

I wanted to send a huge WELCOME to all of the typepad/six apart visitors.  We have had a ton of response from our front-page posting and want to give a special thanks and welcome.  (Thanks to the rioting team at six apart for choosing us!)  :)

We are a small start up, which is out to change the world with amazing products -- our first product line is chocolate covered cacao - the bean that chocolate comes from!  (Try it - it's yummy!)  We have an amazing team of 4 full-time rioters (Nina, Matt, Heidi, me) and 4 part-time rioters (Suzanne, Joe, Kate, Jon ) in a cool, funky shared artists space on Houston St in the Village/Soho (see photos of team above as we play in our lovely city of NYC). 

We like to be as interactive as possible, and our blog is one of those ways. We're always looking for interesting topics to blog about related to our categories: Cacao (aka, Real Chocolate), Celebrate, Chocolate, Community, Company, Cool, Countries, Culture. So if you know of anything we should bring to attention to our fellow rioters - let me know!

Lastly, don't forget you can subscribe to receive updates whenever we post.  To subscribe by RSS, just click on "Subscribe to my news feed for blog updates" and follow the directions.  To receive an email with our blog posts, just type in your email address in the left-hand column and click "Subscribe me!"

Thanks for visiting, listening, and joining the riot community!  You can always learn more at our main website too.  Riotly, Sarah, Mastermind & Chief Rioter.

Whole Foods in the Springtime

We had another round of Whole Foods events last week.  sweetriot is honored and excited to be in the store windows of the NYC Chelsea store (see funny photo here!)  They have a cool program called 'Made in NY' which features local companies and their products.    

At Columbus Circle there were TV cameras bustling around for a special national broadcast on Whole Foods and luckily there was some cacao footage taken as well.  There is an energy level in Whole Foods that we enjoy as a team.  The staff is supportive and excited and the consumers are always curious about cacao (see photo here with the great Alfredo.)

As always, when rioters are there, so seem to be the police.  This particular NYPD friend seemed quite fond of cacao, so there were no disturbances to be had.  He wandered by our demo at Whole Foods Chelsea and then even came back for another hit.

Alas, another day, another cacao sampling event.  We are committed to sharing cacao with the entire universe.  Come join us!  (Thanks to Kurt, Nina's brother, who visited from Chicago and joined us for some rioting.)

Ethos Water & their mission

Last week I mentioned the NYU Columbia Subway Series and my friends, Peter and Jonathan, the founders of Ethos Water.  Their company is so compelling because their tie between a water product and world water issues is direct and engaging.  For every bottle sold, they give back to the world water crisis.  They use the tagline, "Every Bottle Makes a Difference."

Ethos' website is full of descriptions of their projects and their mission.  You can also find a significant amount of meaningful information on the world water crisis.

I learned about Ethos Water while I was starting sweetriot and reached out to the company and its founders to learn about their experiences.  Both Peter and Jonathan have always been there for sweetriot - this is another sign of a great company - they give back.

So here's my question for you.  How can we make our mission and good work clearer at sweetriot?  We have this social mission page here but what else can we do?  Should we give a % of our profits to non profits?  I'd love to hear your feedback and ideas.

There is always 'Room 4 Dessert!'

Spring is here, and it's time for dessert!  Real dessert that is!  My friend and fabulous chef, Will Goldfarb, recently created a wonderful new place in NYC called 'Room 4 Dessert.'  If you haven't stopped by, now is the time.  It's only going to get busier and busier as time goes on, especially with great reviews from the NY Times.  Go, Will!

Will has taken desserts to a whole new level with a focus on flavor, presentation, and experience.   One of my favorite dishes is whiskey with vanilla ice cream.  (They will heavy up on the whiskey if you're interested.)  ;)  Personally, I love vanilla and a light whiskey undertone.  Choices of paired wines and drinks enhance the creativity of his desserts.  Flavor is not the only reason to visit Room 4 Dessert.  It's a unique NYC atmosphere with a great and personable team led by Will.  Here are a few photos from my recent visit with Susan, Carolyn, and David.  (P.S. did I mention you will soon see sweetriot Cacao tins sold on a little shelf as soon as you walk in the door?!)  :)

sweetriot Under Siege?

OK, you may have heard about the theft of sweetriot Cacao from my San Francisco rental car -- it happened just a few days ago.   Well, last night in NYC, my dear Nina, sweetriot's first full-time Rioter and a Very Important Rioter indeed, was robbed on an NYC subway car. 

What did the thieves take?   One special thing -- our main office phone -- the riot-line!  Yes, it's true, the riot-line is a roving, bubbling, rumbling mobile phone...our very own Treo, which Nina carries with her at any given second.   (See Nina above - would you steal from that smiling face -- it just doesn't make sense unless they are addicted to sweetriot and needing a fix.)

Between the cacao and the riot-line, we are now afraid that someone out there is trying to take over the business.   If you happen to see any cacao being sold on the streets of San Francisco and phone-calls coming in from the riot-line, beware, it's not us - they are rioter imposters.  Nina and I already have the NYPD and the SFPD on the chase, but if you hear anything, please let us know!

PS - We love NYC and swear this type of thing really doesn't happen often on the subway - it's a very safe city - come visit us!

Seth Godin & Purple Cows

There is a great author, blogger, speaker, ex-Yahoo! who took the time to write about sweetriot today and his name is Seth Godin.  If you haven't seen his writing, it's time to take notice.

My personal favorite book of Seth's is 'Purple Cow.'  The book speaks about the importance of creating remarkable things and about being truly unique.   There really is no reason to create products which are alike.

When I recently emailed with Seth, he said he had a tin right near desk and that he loved it.  I was so excited as he truly is a great thinker in terms of wonderful products -- it was an honor to know sweetriot was already in his home.   Are there other 'thinkers' you follow and respect?  I'd like to know.

Craig Newmark, Heather Armstrong, and Jason Kottke at SxSW

I recently caught up with Craig Newmark, Heather Armstrong, and Jason Kottke at SxSW where I spoke on bootstrapping and starting a new company, one of my favorite topics.  :)  Luckily, I found out Craig, Heather and Jason are sweetriot lovers as we shared some cacao in the green room before our sessions. 

What is great about each of them is their unassuming nature.  They have created presence on the web but they are kind and approachable.  Like everyone else, they grapple with things like the growth of their website or how to get through all of their daily email. 

Craig spoke at SxSW on building community on Craig's List and his amazing role as customer service representative - yes, that is his title and he is committed to it.  Service is truly at the core of his work.  Jason Kottke of Kottke.org and Heather Armstrong of Dooce spoke on the growth of their individuals blogs and how to create a sustainable lifestyle around them.  Continue to watch out for all 3 of these great individuals.

FT Rioters!

Together Everyone Achieves More = TEAM.  OK, that saying is really cheesy, so I’m looking for an alternative.  I did want to blog for a moment though on some new members of the sweetriot team! 

Heidi just joined us full-time as the Creator of Cool Markets.  This is a very important role to help us expand sweetriot in key markets around the U.S. and eventually the world.  I've known Heidi since college and she is a great person to forge true partnerships, which is key to our growth.  Read more about her on her bio.

Megan has come on for 6 weeks of full-time fun before moving down South.  We’re lucky to have her working with us on our community events and outreach.  She just finished culinary school in NYC!

sweetriot is only as strong as its team and I feel grateful every day to work with such great people Heidi, Megan, Matt, Nina, Joe, Jon, Suzanne and more!

Schlepping Behind the Scenes

Nina, Matt, and Heidi went behind the scenes this week to prepare more cacao for everyone!  Here are a few photos of a typical trip to New Jersey to check on our 'auto parts' for putting it all together.  It tends to include lots of driving, packing, carrying, and moving....schlepping as we like to call it at sweetriot.

In fact, I've realized that schlepping is just part of the business....especially when you have yummy physical inventory you need to move around from place to place.  Thanks to the MoMA we have lovely rolling bags which make it a bit smoother but it's still not easy.  The riot team has the perserverance though to make it happen from day to day...it's something that inspires me as our team work ethic is strong and unwavering.  Huge kudos to Nina, Matt, Heidi and Megan for making it happen every day!