Meet Kristi Heyer | Owner of Graze & Vines

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristi Heyer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristi, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have a background in market research and took time off from work once I had kids. That was over 8 years ago! As my kids got older, I wanted to begin working again, but did not want to go back into the traditional workforce. I needed something flexible. I love hosting and helping bring people together, especially when it involves food! After making some charcuterie boards for family and friends, my friend, Leandi, suggested this should be what I start doing.

Within hours of sending her a photo of the board I made for Thanksgiving, she had convinced me to start this company with her, we had a name, bought a website domain, and started an instagram page! Graze and Vines felt like an impulsive idea but the passion behind the company has been there for a long time.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Starting a business has been a rollercoaster; there are constantly new things to learn! When we first began, we ran into a lot of hurdles – like discovering you can’t operate a charcuterie business out of your home kitchen! We’ve had to learn a lot about licensing, regulations in the industry, and working in a commercial kitchen, but doing it this way has allowed us to have another layer of credibility with our customers.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned (in life and in business) is that it’s ok to do it scared. Before we had a single order, I was shopping for local jams at Provisions on Main in Duluth and began chatting with the owner. When I told her I was starting a charcuterie company, she asked if we did workshops. It went against everything inside of me, but I responded “Um….we don’t do anything yet…but I think we could!” I had no idea how a charcuterie workshop would work and I was honest with her about how little experience we had. In the end, she took a chance on me and has become one of our biggest champions! A month later, we were licensed, had over a dozen Valentine’s day orders, and hosted our very first workshop in her shop.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We live in Duluth and it’s all about the food when we have people visiting, so we’d grab donuts at Simply Done, burgers and beers at Good Word, and dinner/cocktails at Falling Rabbit. If the weather is nice, we’d pack a charcuterie picnic (of course!) and enjoy it on the Duluth lawn while the kids run through the fountain. And of course, our kids always want to end our Duluth days with ice cream from The Chocolaterie.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh my goodness, so many people! My husband has been the biggest supporter. Starting Graze & Vines meant he had to have a lot more flexibility and he hasn’t once complained…maybe because he gets to be my #1 taste tester?

I also never would have started this without Leandi and Kevin pushing to make it happen – they were both so instrumental in getting this off the ground and continue to be very involved. And finally, my parents – they were so enthusiastic and encouraging when I shared the idea with them; that helped me feel like it wasn’t so outrageous and was within reach.

Website: https://grazeandvines.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grazeandvines/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grazeandvines/

Image Credits
Graze & Vines