Spoond, the luxurious hot chocolate brand, founded in 2021 by Dubliner Emi Takakura has certainly made it’s mark on the food industry. The Blas na hÉireann award winning product is crafted using a carefully selected cocoa mix and rich Belgian chocolate flakes, which when mixed with hot milk creates a deliciously decadent hot chocolate drink that will bring comfort to even the coldest of winter nights. Heavily influenced and inspired by her time spent in Tokyo as a child, Emi, who is of both Irish and Japanese heritage has gone on to work in the diverse food & drinks industries of Ireland, Tokyo, Shanghai and New York.
The Road to Becoming Self Employed
Takakura had decided many years ago that ultimately she wanted to set up her own business and become self employed. In 2021, she took the leap and Spoond was born.
“I've worked in food & drinks with Jameson, Kerry Group and Gem Pack Foods across marketing and product development, as well as with startups in Dogpatch Labs and as a consultant. I have always wanted to set up my own food company - for the freedom, to put my mark on the world, and because I love food innovation.” Emi tells us.
Hot Chocolate with a Difference
Combining her passion for chocolate and her love of experimentation, Emi set out to create a rich and creamy luxury hot chocolate that would appeal to the more sophisticated palate of adults, something different to the overtly sweet and liquid-y hot chocolates that cater to children’s tastebuds.
“Most hot chocolates are based on the American style of thin and sweet. I believe hot chocolate should be like liquid chocolate - chocolatey, full of flavour, and a little bit thick. This is how it is made in mainland Europe and South America. I wanted to create a high quality, luxury, Irish take on it.”
Spoond is currently available in two flavours; Dark Milk Chocolate and Malted Milk Chocolate.
Challenges & Opportunities
“Packaging has been a huge challenge, I was out of stock for the majority of my first winter (peak season for hot chocolate!) due to packaging sourcing issues. It has also been incredibly challenging producing it myself. I'm looking forward to scaling production, so I can focus on the brand and new listings.”
For Emi, selling Spoond online has solidified the brand and opened up a whole world of consumers who are excited to try the product.
“Online has been a fantastic opportunity. It's much easier to advertise and showcase the product online than in stores, so you can directly see the result on sales.” Says Emi.
“I have a larger focus on online now. Once I went online I realised the power of it, so I decided to put more into it.” She adds.
Award Winning
For Emi, celebrating Spoond as an award winning, innovative product has been a highlight of her entrepreneurial journey.
“Winning a Blas na hÉireann gold for one product, and finalist for the other, made me realise that I am creating something of value.”
LEO Supports
Over the years, Emi has taken part in numerous LEO Dublin City training events, from mentoring to social media training courses. She has also attended Food Academy, a training programme aimed at supporting and nurturing start-up food businesses.
In 2021, Emi applied for and was successfully granted the Trading Online Voucher.
“Receiving a Trading Online Voucher and setting up my online store, has opened a new sales channel that I didn't think could add so much to the business. I'm still working on optimising this strategy, but I can see the huge potential now.”
Plans for the Future
Focused and ambitious, Emi is expanding her business empire and is working towards launching a new venture; a heathy food company in the coming months.
For Spoond, Emi is focused on expanding the product line and changing things up a little.
“I have beautiful new custom packaging arriving, so I'm looking forward to getting those out into stores. There are a few new products we have in the pipeline too, which I'm looking forward to releasing.”
Advice for new Entrepreneurs
“Just start. I spent too much time perfecting things, and could have achieved much more and gained confidence more quickly if I had started years ago. I'm finally getting used to the idea of things going wrong sometimes, because much more goes right when you allow a few things to go wrong!” laughs Emi.
Contact
Website: www.spoond.ie
Email: hello@spoond.ie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spoondirl
