You know I love me some woman-owned businesses and women leaders! When I attended the Natural Products Expo, I ran into Cygnia Rapp at the MELT Organic booth. I struck up a conversation with her and found out she was the founder of MELT Organic!
MELT Organic – ExpoWest 2014
I wanted to highlight this bitchin’ business – not just because it was woman-owned/founded, but because the product was something I’d never tasted before. If you’re not familiar, MELT Organic’s main product Rich & Creamy Melt is a butter improvement (they don’t call it a ‘butter alternative’). This is NOT margarine! This spread is an all-natural alternative to butter made with fruit- and plant-based oils. For people who can’t digest butter or dairy, you might want to check this out!
They have created two more flavors including… dun dun dunnnnnnn CHOCOLATE Melt and Honey Melt!
Without further ado…
CEO Meg Carlson answers my questions about MELT Organic!
1. What is the number one selling MELT product, and what’s the most popular way to consume MELT?
Rich & Creamy is our best selling product. It is our flagship product and has been on the market the longest. We introduced Honey MELT in 2013 and Chocolate MELT in 2014 both to considerable acclaim. As they gain market traction they will give Rich & Creamy a run for their money! The most popular use of Rich & Creamy is as a spread, but it has many uses beyond that. It is very versatile and can be used as a one-to-one replacement for butter in cooking and baking recipes. We have great recipes at http://www.meltorganic.com/tips-recipes/recipes-main/.
2. Looking back, was there an obstacle in getting the product to market that could have been avoided (or powered through)? (Ie. For budding entrepreneurs, what’s a lesson you learned while creating such a unique product?)
According to Cygnia Rapp, Founder and Chief Science Officer, “Probably, the most unambiguous mistake that, was completely avoidable, was cutting corners by “saving” money with UPC codes acquired from buyabarcode.com. The UPC codes from buyabarcode.com are third party UPCs and not owned by the purchaser or recognized by GS1 (GS1 develops and maintains global UPC code standards). Consequently, several, large, critical grocery retail chains would not accept our products until we purchased UPC codes from GS1, and in the process of converting to the new UPC code we lost other customers.”
3. What is the oddest or most interesting way someone has ever used MELT? (Has there been a recipe or fan who’s used it in a “wow, we didn’t know we could do this!” way?)
The unexpected use that has surprised me the most is people who enjoy it in their morning coffee! The most surprising aspect of this is not so much that people are enjoying it in this manner, but the number of people who do so.
[Ed note: I’ve heard of bulletproof coffee, and I would love to hear if any of my readers use MELT or butter in their coffee!]
4. If you can tell us, what’s next for MELT? Is there a new flavor you’re working on?
We debuted Chocolate MELT Organic earlier this year and have had some early critical acclaim. Chocolate MELT won the 2014 Stevie Award for New Product of the Year!
MELT Organic Chocolate – courtesy: Melt Organic
5. And of course,… what is YOUR favorite MELT?
That’s like being asked which child is your favorite! They each share all of the healthful benefits of MELT’s Perfect Blend of oils featuring organic virgin coconut oil, yet are all amazing in their individual ways. Rich & Cream MELT is great to cook and bake with and is amazing on toast or drizzled over steamed veggies; Honey MELT is perfect on waffles or French toast giving it a wonderful butter flavor with just the right amount of sweetness; and Chocolate MELT is the ultimate dip for fresh fruit as well as a luscious spread on croissants or graham crackers.
NOMS. Honey MELT on waffles – courtesy: MELT Organic
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I can’t thank Meg and the MELT Organic team enough for taking the time to answer my questions.
I’ve got a review of MELT products coming up soon. In the meantime, get your own MELT Organics product and get baking (or cooking)!
- Website: http://www.meltorganic.com/
- Store locator: http://www.meltorganic.com/where-to-buy/store-locator/
- Like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meltorganic
- Follow them on Twitter: http://twitter.com/meltorganic
- Pin their recipes: http://www.pinterest.com/MeltOrganic/
Disclosure: Well, no disclosure needed. I’m not getting kickbacks or anything from this post. I just think MELT Organic is a kick ass product and wanted to highlight the business and business leader(s)!
[…] I ran into the founder Cygnia Rapp at the Natural Products Expo a few years back, and I even interviewed CEO Meg Carlson! This year, they’ve got new products out – I am still a big fan of MELT […]