Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Yen.
Melissa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started making syrups for coffee when I co-owned a cafe. I was bored with the flavors out there and obsessed with Cafe de Olla, a Mexican coffee drink with cinnamon, clove & orange. I recreated the flavor profile in syrup form so I could easily serve my customers. Next, it was Cardamom Rose Water, based on a Turkish Coffee. Once I sold the cafe, I took 4 months off & figured out how to bottle & brand my syrups. I wanted to make a more natural syrup with no artificial colors or preservatives using good ingredients.
Jo Snow Syrups launched in 2010. I quickly figured out that the syrups made excellent cocktails & sodas as well. And then there are snow cones! I also set up a snow cone stand at the Logan Square Farmers Market in the summer. I use farmers fruit from the market to make limited edition seasonal flavors like Blueberry Basil and Moroccan Peach. I also started offering snow cone catering for parties, weddings & events. I have a super fun, hand crank Japanese ice shaver that is a great conversation starter.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Owning a small business is never a smooth road! You have to wear all the hats. You have been your own social media person, bookkeeper, distributor, salesperson, even if you are not good at all those things & just want to play in the kitchen & create new syrup flavors. Distribution is always the hardest part; getting yourself out there, in new stores, in new cafes & then keeping up with delivering a case at a time to places that could be an hour away.
I finally have a great distributor, Two Brothers Coffee Roasters. They are on the same page as me & passionate about what they do. Finding a commercial kitchen to work out of is also difficult & expensive. I hopped from shared kitchen to shared kitchen before I found a permanent home, which I am very lucky to have.
Jo Snow Syrups – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My company is Jo Snow Syrups. I make all natural infused simple syrups for coffee, cocktails & sodas, and snow cones, of course. I use organic cane sugar, real herbs & spices, all natural extracts. I never use any artificial colors or preservatives. My unique flavors set me apart. I always say I am not a plain raspberry girl. One of my most popular flavors is Cardamom Rose Water. It is great in a latte, in a bourbon or gin cocktail, on top of oatmeal!
My syrups are very versatile. Some of my other flavors are Fig Vanilla Black Pepper, Grapefruit Rosemary, Tangerine Lavender Honey, Strawberry Mint Balsamic. Lumberjack (smoky cinnamon maple) has been a huge hit! I am most proud of the fact that I have made it this far/this long in the food industry. It’s a tough biz!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My definition of success has changed over the years. I think my longevity in the food business is a marker of my success. I’ve made it 7 years & I am still going strong. The fact that people are still interested in what I am doing, the flavors I am creating, is a marker of success for me. I tend to be ahead of the curve in flavor profiles, of what flavors I am interested in or combining.
When a flavor that I have been playing with becomes popular, two years later, it is validation, to me, that I know what I’m doing. When I first made the cardamom rose water syrup eight years ago, most people didn’t know what cardamom was. I thought I was going to have to discontinue the flavor. Now it is my second most popular flavor. That is success to me.
Pricing:
- 5 oz syrup- retail price $8.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.josnowsyrups.com
- Phone: 773-732-3045
- Email: melissa@josnowsyrups.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/josnowsyrups
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/JoSnowSyrups/
Image Credit:
Grant Kessler Photography, Ingrid Bonne Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
