#40 Treats Good Enough for Sainthood - Jami Curl, Baking Gold Cookbook, Quin Candies, St. Cupcake

In some aspect of the food business since she was 12, Jami Curl and a friend were deciding what to do after college. In Ohio at the time, they read that Portland, Oregon was a place for coffee, beer and books, which appealed to her. She got a marketing background in some non-food jobs, and was baking cakes in her spare time. Jami then found her passion in baking and started looking for a space to bake for the public. She found it and opened up St. Cupcake, which took people by storm. Not prepared for the success, Jami pretty much played every day by ear, baking for the people who showed up and having the front of the store handled by her friend. The company expanded quickly and got to 40 employees and multiple locations. She also decided to expand into candy and that evolved into a candy shop. And that expanded into e-commerce and building a national brand, including the authoring of a book. A divorce and other stresses made Jami decide to simply close St. Cupcake. It was an emotional, not rational decision and indeed turned out to be a learning experience, because six months later, a person came forward wanting to buy the company and reopen it. It's still operating today as a testimonial to the great brand she created.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

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Listen to the "Masoni and Marshall the meaningful marketplace" live on-air every Friday at 9:00am pacific time on Startup Radio Network at startupradionetwork.com

Thank you for listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast.

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Producer: Sarah Marshall of The Joy of Creation Production House
Audio engineer, mixer, and podcast editor: Haley Bowers
Show logo design: Anton Kimball of Kimball Design
Production Coordinators: Dave Drusky