"You know that moment when you get home, and it's been a long day, and you just want to sit down and treat yourself a little?" asks Terry Williams, founder of food company
BlackOnyx Creations. "Well, that moment is what drives our whole business."
Williams and her husband Frank work to develop comfort foods for what they call the "ahh time," when people seek peace and relaxation through a cup of chai or bite of toffee. They produce drinks and snacks like coffee, chai, granola, and candy and market many of them under the label Winter Goddess.
The firm started a few years ago after Frank was injured at his job working for the TSA and the couple had to take a leap of faith in search of a new income source. "Our business is the result of dealing with economic difficulties," Williams notes. "We had to look at the world differently, to see opportunities where we hadn't seen them before. Most of all, we had to look at our community in a more interactive way. It's been a wonderful shift."
BlackOnyx takes it name from the stone, which is thought to increase regeneration, happiness, and intuition. Williams says it helps to create balance, give strength, and boost self-confidence — qualities that are hugely beneficial when starting a new business and gaining traction in the market.
The business began with craft shows and farmers markets, but started to grow after the pair took classes with
Kindred Kitchen, the food incubator program in North Minneapolis [see our coverage of the program
here]. That, in turn, led to the
Minneapolis Homegrown Business Development Center loan program. BlackOnyx became the first loan recipient of the pilot program, and they're using the funding for marketing and a chocolate tempering machine.
With a strong start for the company, it looks like more local residents are likely to get that "ahh" moment in the future.
Source: Terry and Frank Williams, BlackOnyx Creations
Writer: Elizabeth Millard