Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Nehring.
Hi Melissa, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Like most of us 2020 was a year of A LOT of learning. As my husband and I were waiting in line to enter the grocery store, just to find the majority of the shelves empty, we knew we had to up our food storage. We did our homework and discovered that freeze-drying would be the best fit for our family to have healthy, whole-family meals, especially with having small children.
To top it off, we found out we were expecting our third baby! Storing food was on the forefront of my mind more than ever and I was freeze-drying, sealing, and storing like no tomorrow!
After delivering our baby girl, I was hit unexpectedly with postpartum depression.
I didn’t know what it was at first and knew I was in a funk; I coped with immersing myself into my kitchen, prepping, cooking, and freeze-drying food.
My husband came up to me one day super excited saying, “did you know you can freeze-dry candy!?!” I thought that was so silly because that’s not the purpose of doing what I’m doing. He showed me pictures and videos and I thought, “that would be fun for the kids!” So, I started my first batch of candy, we took it with us on a hike for a nice treat, and to my surprise! The candy didn’t melt, get sticky, or smashed in our backpacks. I thought, “how cool is this? What else’s can I do?” I did more research and after trial and error, we discovered so many of our favorite treats transformed in size, flavor, and texture. They practically dissolve in your mouth and my family who have dentures or braces could enjoy their favorites again!
I saw a need and watched how the freeze-dried treats brought joy into people’s lives. I knew I could make an impact for good, so I started to think up of business ideas.
That’s when Base Camp Treats was born! I was building a business while nursing, pumping, battling postpartum depression but it was the treats that became the tool for my healing. I watched how my business organically brought family, friends, and neighbors together to share an EXPERIENCE for the first time and how rare those moments are today. I saw the joy light up in people’s eyes, I saw how grandparents became childlike again, I saw how burdens became light because for a small moment there was only fun!
Base Camp Treats just celebrated its one-year anniversary! If you were to tell me that I’m in the candy business, I’d politely disagree. My treats are simply a tool to bring joy into people’s lives. I’m in the business of creating experiences to last a lifetime.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Building a business from scratch is never easy! We definitely felt and still feel the growing pains. We had no idea what we were doing in the beginning, and we knew we didn’t need to. We learned as we went there was a lot of trial and error, and we never gave up.
I know I struggled as a nursing mom with PPD being away from my baby to work a market, pump, and store my milk; that was tough! I also felt a lot of mom guilt being on my phone a lot in front of my kids to build our social media platforms and on the computer building and managing our website and email.
I knew this would be a season and I had to become comfortable with the uncomfortable.
I’ll never forget the hardest day, we set up our pop-up at the bottom of the mountain waiting for skiers to come down from their day on the slopes hoping they would stop and see us. It was cold, windy, and seeing hundreds of cars pass with no one stopping was like my worst nightmare of a “lemonade stand” I could imagine. The thoughts of being a failure, not good enough, not capable, what am I doing wrong were all in my head. However, I knew I wouldn’t allow this moment to define us, so I stayed optimistic, and oh gosh I’m glad I did!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Here at Base Camp Treats, we put our treats through the freeze-drying process. This is where we place our treats in a vacuum chamber that will then freeze the food. The moisture is removed by sublimation which causes the sugar molecules in our candy to expand. This is how our treats transform in size, flavor, and texture giving you a whole new experience!
While most of our customers are shocked by our candy, we also freeze dry fruits and vegetables so you can enjoy your favorites wherever you are! I am also the creator behind our signature treats that are homemade by me where the customer won’t find anywhere else! We rotate the menu every months so there’s always something new to try! This is truly what sets us apart! Most recently, our Freeze Dried Fire Roasted S’more won top ten treat at a dessert fest here in Utah this past October.
What I love most about our brand is the connection our customers have behind it. They always get to meet me, and my husband and I call us the Sherpa’s as we guide them through a new experience. I want to take them on a journey they’ll never forget and one where that can’t wait to tell their family and friends about.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
As a small business, we know support goes a long way! I think of the saying often, “we are stronger together and if I have gone far; then it’s been on the backs of giants.” We can be contacted by email or phone number; our treats leave a lasting impression so if other business or companies would like to leave their clients a “thank you” our trays can help them remember you in a big way! We can also be contacted through our social media platforms and are always looking for others to tag our share how they’re using their Base Camp Treats.
Pricing:
- Most of our treats are priced between $6-$8 making it an amazing experience at an extremely affordable price.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.basecamptreats.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basecamptreats/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Base-Camp-Treats-104818805352680
Image Credits
Allie Schroader
