Dream big pt. 4 - First Pitch

In May of 2018, I went to a bbq and of course brought Olokoi and gyoza. My contribution was gone within minutes. I ended up sitting down with some guests who were curious about the sauce and I told them how I began doing tastings and getting feedback. I explained how I wanted to sell to restaurants because I figured this would be the best way for people to learn about Olokoi as well as learn how well it pairs with so many different foods. Some of the people I talked to happened to be partners of a restaurant in LA called, Peking Tavern. These kind folks ended up inviting me to do my very first pitch to the other partners of restaurant. I was beyond excited, nervous, and thinking to myself…is this really happening?

A few weeks go by and my friend Colleen and I drive up to LA and arrive at Peking Tavern. This restaurant is walking distance from the Staples center, such a busy and popular location. As I walk into this gorgeous restaurant, I could feel the butterflies in my tummy acting up. But I talk myself through those feelings and I take a deep breath…here goes nothing! Colleen and I meet up with the guys that run this restaurant and we sit at table. I set up my iPad that contained my presentation and then I start speaking. I had no idea if this was even how a pitch was supposed to go, but I just told the story of Olokoi and how I got to where I am. At this point, I hadn’t even worked with a co-packer to have a professionally produced bottle with label, I literally arrived with a bottle of sauce that I made at home and a presentation on an iPad. The guys running the restaurant were seriously the best. They knew that I was very new to the food world, they were patient, kind and honestly - they walked me through the entire thing. They asked questions and told me what I could expect for future pitch opportunities. This pitch was awesome, all sorts of delicious food was coming out of the kitchen just for this tasting and everything was perfect with Olokoi. This first pitch set the path for many more to come and I am so grateful for that first opportunity.