How did Pacific Northwest Specialties get started you ask? That's an excellent question, and I'm happy to share my story with you😊.
I live in Sherwood Oregon, and in 2003 I closed down a business selling and installing garage ceiling storage rack; boy I sure loved that business, but it was time to “move on”. My buddy had been selling balsamic vinegars and olive oils for years, and I met him while doing home shows. I was always amazed at the crowds he would draw to his booth; people in line six and seven across his booth space, and three-deep back trying to sample. I’d give him a break from time to time, and even as a “novice” I had no problem selling his product, as it sold itself!!!!
After a few conversations with him, he helped me to start selling his wholesale brand of balsamics and olive oils down in California. I loved sampling and selling this specific product line; it was that good, and my customers eyes would almost literally be rolling in the back of their heads as they sampled; they could not believe what they were tasting!
However, it was tough living out of hotels and eating out every meal at restaurants, which helped to soak up all my profits. It was made even more challenging with my awesome wife and two very young sons living in Oregon. I wrapped it up after a year and came back to Oregon to find a “9:00 to 5:00” job. My wife could not have been more happy…..and not because I was home, but because I had a steady income. However, it was truly a miserable job that I gave me no joy and a sense of dread every day I got up; for nearly 10 years.
I didn’t have very much contact with my buddy after that, until he called me out of the blue to see if I might want to start selling again, with the focus of finding events and shows here in Oregon. I said, “no I can’t, I have a job”. Then I started to think that yes, I had a job, a job I was truly miserable doing! I thought that life is just too short to be spending most of your waking hours doing something that brings you no happiness, no joy! I called him back and asked how I can get started again.
Fast forward almost three years and I was “crushing” my sales, with four famers market’s a week during the summer, home shows, seasonal & specialty events and more. The only thing with wholesaling this particular product line is that you were not allowed to have a website for your customers to conveniently repurchase, as any online sales and my customers were now theirs. “No website for you”!!!!!
Things were great, other than the frustrated\annoyed voice in my head telling me how dumb I was for me to keep building someone else’s business and not mine. From there my wife, friends and I started sampling dozens of flavored balsamic vinegars and olive oils, and nothing made the cut, as whatever we decided upon had to be as good or better than what we had. Well, I’ll tell you we found “the one”, and we totally nailed it; without question our flavors are even better than before!!!!
Hence Pacific Northwest Specialties was born. We absolutely have some of the most amazing flavors; twelve white balsamic vinegars, eight dark balsamic vinegars and sixteen flavored olive oils… and counting. We are the like the Baskin Robins of balsamics and olive oils!!! Stay tuned, as soon we’ll add BBQ sauces, marinades, rubs, salsas and more to our lineup.
There is nothing we love more that sampling our delicious balsamic vinegars and olive oils at all of our events; it’s always a sampling party at our booth. Completed strangers start taking to each other as if there were friends\acquaintances about what flavors they sampled and what they want to try next. Our customers can’t believe how amazing our flavors are!! Even customers who tell me they don’t like balsamic vinegar, try them and immediately fall in love.
All I can say is try them for yourself and be amazed, as they are truly that good!!! I promise, your eyes will be rolling in the back of your head.
Call me, text me email me any time, or purchase online, as I am excited for you to have Pacific Northwest Specialties front and center at your next gathering! Your home will be the place everyone wants to be at!!!