Hannah Smith and Taryn McCormick opened Fig and Honey Charcuterie Council Bluffs, LLC after they could not find any charcuterie options available in their area. The two love to give gifts and host parties but have been unable to find charcuterie options in their area. They even went out of state to order charcuterie gifts to give to coworkers and clients. So, on February 13, 2022, Fig and Honey Charcuterie opened their doors.

Thus far, they have seen a good number of orders. Fig and Honey have done some special events and have some weddings and graduation parties booked for the future. When they opened, Taryn and Hannah were unsure how much business to expect, so adapting to the larger order numbers has been fun for them. They love making all of their boards, boxes, and tables because it is an art form to them. Hannah says, “It is more like flower arranging because the display matters so much.”

Hannah and Taryn are incredibly passionate about the charcuterie boards, boxes, and tables they make. It is very fun to arrange the food on display and make it look nice to the clients, and they almost get giddy when they have an event coming up. It is fun to hear people’s comments on the displays, especially the grazing tables. Normally they hear lots of surprised comments and awes over how stunning the grazing table displays are.

The partnerships that have developed with the start of their small business have been amazing for the two owners. These partnerships have been a driver of their success and have been surprising to Taryn and Hannah. Kitchen Council has given them a great space to work in and, along the way, wonderful people to bounce ideas off of. Another organic partnership has developed with a farmer out of Logan, Iowa. This farmer reached out to the owners of Fig and Honey, and a partnership is developing between them. These wonderful happenings have made owning a small business much easier for Hannah and Taryn.

A big part of the motivation for Hannah and Taryn has been their clients. They want to meet the clients’ needs and make sure they cater to each client specifically. They are very flexible in their offerings and can even go as far as to offer gluten-free items if that is needed. The demand of the community they are in and their clients are what Hannah and Taryn strive to meet with every display they build.

Hannah has some advice to offer to anyone looking to start their own small business. She says, “Do your homework and some market research.” Noting this is important to help you be successful on your new adventure. Hannah notes, “reach out to the community organizations to help you, such as Kitchen Council or the Small Business Development Center. These places are there to support you and your business.”

Hannah and Taryn have worked with the Iowa Western Small Business Development Center. Hannah notes how wonderful the experience has been from the very beginning. She says, “From the get-go, we received great advice. Sue and Michael have been extremely knowledgeable and have provided us with any information we need from taxes to social media and website suggestions; they have been there.”

Hannah and Taryn had the dream for their business but could not have gotten where they are without the help of the SBDC. Hannah notes, “Sue has been a delight to work with, providing a wealth of knowledge and overall business acumen.”