It started as a simple question from her inquisitive child. Is there wine in wine gums?

Why not?

That night, a side hustle was born.

Pushed by the relentless enthusiasm from her kids, Teena Gudjonson got to work in her kitchen to, well, put the wine into wine gums.

Today, her Cellar Candy website features not only “wine” gummies, but liquor-based creations like Lime Margarita and Piña Colada.

Check out this episode to discover;

• How and why she closes the business for 2 months in the summer each year
• Why you shouldn’t let lack of business experience stop you
• How she scrambled to find a commercial kitchen, after receiving a sudden 100 + orders to fill
• Helpful insights about dealing with supply issues, figuring out wholesale pricing, and juggling increased costs.
• Creating a “Life By Design” that fits you
• Inspiration in her story to start or grow your side hustle

What You’ll Hear:

03:12 The birth of a side hustle idea

06:07 Trying to figure out how to actually make gummies

07:19 The alcohol kept breaking down the gelatin

07:49 Debuting at a large wine festival, they were a hit!

08:37 Going into retail sales forced a move (a scramble actually) to find a commercial kitchen

11:43 Expanded into “liquor” gummies and private label products

12:08 Buying in bulk not only vital for pricing, it helps when dealing with supply disruptions

13:02 The decision to build a commercial kitchen on her home property

14:17 Coming up with new flavours

16:57 Determining the price point of product can be tricky - gelatin Teena used to buy at $500 for 25 kg, has been as high as $1,200

18:33 Teena will only discounts max 25% to retailers, otherwise it’s not worth it

22:53 About 95% of product is sold wholesale to retailers

23:46 TikTok post resulted in an overnight surge of online orders

26:37 Why Teena’s not focused on scaling up at this time

28:16 Pitching at Dragon’s Den and getting a deal

34:13 “When I stop limiting myself, I think then that the possibilities are endless”

36:23 Only go to someone for advice who has already done what you want to achieve

37:15 Now has 1 full-time employee and several part-time

38:38 Keeps quality control products – some now 7-years old

40:49 She still tests every batch before it gets molded for quality control

41:42 To reduce labeling costs to something reasonable (from $3 to $0.15 per) required a $10,000 print run

45:10 Has now sold over ½ million dollars worth of gummies

45:40 From having the capacity to make only 40 packages a day, to 500 per day

49:31 Competitors are now copying her flavours, but they don’t compare to Teena’s real, quality, ingredients

50:50 Cellar Candy artisan gummies are a world apart from the big box bulk versions

52:54 What ‘gelatin’ actual is

54:13 You can create a “Life By Design”

54:51 Be sure it’s what you want

55:05 Challenge your negative beliefs about yourself and your potential

55:38 You have a unique combination of talent and skills, interests and experiences that no one else has

Connect with Teena:

https://www.cellarcandy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/cellar_candy/

Connect with Joan:

https://www.instagram.com/joanposivy/

https://www.facebook.com/posivy/

https://www.joanposivy.com/

Be on the show!

https://www.sidehustlehero.com/guests/intake/