ota.stuff

Just wanted to make an end of the week post as I'm getting ready for another day at the Tailgate Market, this Saturday. I had a big week getting out 2 shipments of 72 and 48 bars! Very exciting! I don't have online ordering up yet, but you can always email me with your order/questions/etc. Since I am only 1 person, order turn-around-time can vary depending on how many orders I have, etc.

Email: info@otabars.com

I will be taking next weekend off from the market, so make sure you come out this week! It's my 1yr wedding annv. and I think I deserve a week off =)

The market went really well last week. My mom was in town, from Cleveland, so she helped a ton with the preparations. It was fun to have her at the market and show her what I've been up to with all this crazy granola stuff. I sold 122 bars, took a few orders, and talked to Common Market (local deli/wine/beer/market) about selling my bars there. They will debut at CM this Saturday!! I also started heat sealing the bags this past week, which really improved the look of the packages.

This week, at the market, I'll be featuring - cinna-fuse (#1 seller), pnutty crunch, triple berry almond, and the NEW cherry pecan - mmmmmm... I know I have quite a few "cherry" bars but they are all really different from each other so I am excited about this one...kind of along the lines of cherry/pecan pie.. Yumm.

I'm not sure if I'll get to it this week but sometime in the near future I am going to start trying to create a gluten-free bar. A few people at the market, with a gluten intolerance, asked if my bars are gluten-free. I don't use flour, but I do use wheat germ and organic rolled oats, which are not gluten-free friendly. We'll see what I can come up with! I'm thinking...drop the oats & germ...add more pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds and add ground flax seeds.

I think that is all of the news I have. Hope to see some of you at the market this weekend!

I'll leave you with a few pics from last week =)

-Ashley





new packaging




that's a lot of ota!

ota.news

Hello there ota.fans! Just a quick post as I'm preparing for the market this Saturday. If you didn't get out last week, this week should be even better! I will have a bigger stock of bars and a larger variety to choose from. There will also be music for kids at 10am and a chef demo at 11am (Mark Hibbs, owner and head chef at Ratcliffe on the Green).

I will be selling single bars for $1.50 or you can mix and match 6 bars for $8. I will be featuring the following varieties:

cinna-fuse
pnutty crunch
cherry pistachio
cran-mango-cash
cran-raisin-walnut

As always, these bars are soy-free & dairy-free. They are made with some of the highest quality ingredients you can find and are packed with nutrients.

New order prices are as follows:
(1 variety per batch)
8 batch for $12
12 batch for $16
24 batch for $30

E-mail me at info@otabars.com for information regarding large (100+ bars) orders, or for any other ota.bar related questions.

The bars are customizable for $5/batch. This means you can basically make your own variety!

If you want to be surprised and are the adventurous type, you can choose "chef's choice." I will prepare an all time favorite or maybe try something new.

In choosing my packaging, I tried to stay as simple and eco-friendly as possible. I want to create the least amount of waste I can. The bags I'm using are biodegradable, compostable, and made carbon zero. They start to biodegrade within 9 months and are made from wood cellulose fibers. They look just like plastic cellophane bags but don't be fooled!!

Stay tuned for more updates and a recap of how the market goes on Saturday!

Ashley

the ever changing menu....

market day

The first day at the Tailgate Market was awesome! I felt a little like I was back in architecture school preparing for a deadline. Chris (my husband) and I were up til 3:30am packaging and preparing everything. It was all worth it though. The weather was perfect and it was pretty busy all morning. I go there on a weekly basis to buy this and that, so it was fun to be on the other side of things and watch people come and go. There were a lot of happy people just looking for delicious local food. Chris was there with me and a bunch of our friends came to check it out. It was so great to have all of their support!!

I bought THEE most amazing strawberries there. They literally melted in your mouth. A gallon basket was $9 and worth every penny. I made a strawberry pie and strawberry muffins...mmmm

Anyway, back to ota.bars! I came prepared with 60 bars of a few different flavors which all got cleared out. The big hit was the apple/apricot/almond/walnut/cinnamon variety which has been named "cinna-fuse." This name stemmed from my great friends Laura & Travis. Their photography business is called "fuse photographic," which is where the "fuse" comes from. It is also Laura's favorite bar and she always talks about the distinct cinnamon flavor. So, cinna-fuse seemed to work well!

The other big hit was the new "cran-mango cash." This is a combo of craberries/mango/cashews. Kids really liked the "pnat banana" and the "pnutty crunch."

I got some great feedback and encouraging comments! Next week I will definitely come with more bars! My mom will be in town from Ohio helping me out this weekend. Super excited!

I took a few pictures..they're not the greatest but will do for now! =)

Stay tuned as always!

Ashley


Ginette hung out for awhile



my little stand


samples...mmmm

you.can't.stop.me.

I would like all of you to know that...

ota.bars is OFFICIALLY in business!!!!

This is HUGE!!! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!

Thank you all, for your good luck wishes. You really just have to talk to the right people when it comes to dealing with the county! The Charlotte Tailgate Farmer's Market will be a "go" for ota.bars on Saturday, May 30th. I will have samples of a few different bars & granola and will also be selling single bars and taking orders. Click on the link and you'll be able to find exactly where the market is. If you want an easy landmark, it is directly across from Phat Burrito off Camden Rd. The market hours are 9am-1pm. Come visit us and the other amazing local farmers/potters/bakers etc.

Next order of business is the website.

Stay tuned!!!
Ashley

blog slacker

So I guess I've been quite the blog slacker lately. There has been a lot going on good & bad. After all the research I have done for the past month to get the business license...literally about 30 phone calls & lots of online checking...I thought everything was set. Well, the Mecklenburg county zoning department had a different idea. Apparently, you are not allowed to run a business out of someone else's residence. So basically there are much different rules between the state and the county. The state is the one who came to inspect the kitchen and it is completely fine with running your business from someone else's home but the county says NO. I won't go into the details on why the county says no..but it doesn't make much sense for the small business person. LAME!!!

BUT...
We have a plan in the works...so stay tuned! My hope is that I'll be at the Tailgate farmers market the last weekend in May. Fingers crossed please.

[New for ota]
peach/walnut/cinnamon
peanut butter/banana - [This bar is special because I've actually named it - it's called the "pnat banana bar") after my bro-in-law & sis-in-law in Colorado. This is Natalie's favorite bar and I thought it worked to merge their names (pat & natalie --> pnat). This may be the only named bar...we'll see if I can come up with any others!]
kitchen sink granola - loose granola (not the bars) that seriously has everything but the kitchen sink...packed with nuts & fruit..mmmm
chef's choice - If you are not picky with the ota.ingredients I use this bar is for you! You will be surprised every time with anything off the menu or maybe even something new.
custom bar - for a little extra $ you will be able to specify the nuts/fruit you want in the bar...don't see something on the menu you like? do you just want nuts? just fruit? This option is for you!

Other than these few updates, Chris is starting a real website. We have secured a domain name and are getting it all figured out. When we actually have something on it, I'll post the link.

All for now. Stay tuned for some (hopefully) good news!!

Ashley

Moving right along...

THE KITCHEN PASSED!!!!

Excellent news!! Now onto the business license, which shouldn't be a problem at all. Almost there...More to come, soon!

photoshoot

Back from Colorado! Check this out http://www.fusephotographic.blogspot.com/

My two amazing friends, Laura & Travis (husband and wife), are two of the best photographers I know. I got lucky enough to have them shoot my wedding this past summer. The pictures surpassed our expectations by a mile! While I was in Colorado, working on the farmer's market design competition with Laura, she had the idea to take some photos of me to put on my up and coming website. I will admit, I felt a little goofy at first, but overall I had so much fun taking the pics with Laura. She had a lot of great ideas that will work really well for the tone of the product & website I'm trying to set.

If you want to see any of their other work (I encourage you to!!) visit their main website at: http://www.fusephotographic.com/

I highly recommend them for any photography needs you may have, not just because they are my friends but because of their amazing talent! Here is just some of what they do - weddings/family/baby/theater/senior photos/etc.

Kitchen inspection is today. Fingers crossed people!!!

-Ashley

p.s. the newest additions to the flavor list getting quite a bit of attention - Cherry Pecan Graham & Peanut Butter Banana