In just a few short years, entrepreneur Cherish Sawkins has turned her love of cooking into a thriving business called The Fine Fettle, focused on creating delicious and healthy, organic-hormone/GMO-free meals for customers across the region.
Sawkins, who has lived in Brantford most of her life, has done various jobs and has since committed herself to the venture, talked about how the business started.
“I was training at a fitness club in Waterloo, when Covid hit…and two of my clients, a husband and wife, asked me if I would get their groceries, because they were worried about going out. As they knew I liked to cook, they ended up asking me if I could prepare meals for them,” she said.
“That became my little weekend side gig. I then moved back to Brantford and continued cooking for them, and then one of my friends found what I had been up to and then I started cooking for him too. The couple then told more people….[and] demand grew,” Sawkins added.
Andrea Curly, a crossfit friend, also helped spread the word and soon Sawkins “went from 40 meals a week to 300 just in less than a year….and then decided I could quit my other jobs, and focus on this. I’ve now been doing it for two years.”
Nevertheless, The Fine Fettle, who is based in Brantford, has grown in reputation because of its consistent meal selection and high-quality ingredients which Sawkins personally selects.
“Currently, I’m putting a menu out every two weeks, and it’s all clean food. I work with several local businesses including Janda, fine foods poultry, Caudles, for my seafood and fish and Ben Haven Acres, for my dairy, meat and eggs as well as nine farmers who are at St. Jacobs Market, which I go to every week,” she said.
“I hand pick all my ingredients and there are no seed oils and they are not GMO. Of course, these meals are customizable…so I’ll pair them together every two weeks…that include proteins, carbs and vegetables. Everything’s portioned out and it’s properly put together for a balanced meal. A lot of the clients are finding that it’s really good for health issues. I create balanced, healthy meals and what I do isn’t mass-produced.”
However, it wasn’t until recently that Sawkins realized she had a real, feasible business.
“I kept getting new clients every week and started to see that there was definitely a niche I could fill. I have one client that has lost 60 pounds because of the balanced portions of my meals,” she said. These healthy meals have also helped people that have IBS or that have diabetes, regulating their blood sugars. I think that’s when you really have to start thinking of what we are putting in our bodies.”
While Sawkins has continued to work on her website to accommodate more orders and centralize her online presence, customers can use social media or just call.
“They’ll just either reach me on Instagram [and] that’s the main place that you would get a hold of me just because of my referral base. I also give them my phone number. Sawkins creates custom meals based on the information each customer gives them and can tailor them based on allergies “and in some cases, I provide a full consultation to see what their specific are,” she added.
Marketing for the most part has been word-of-month. “Until this point, I have posted a little bit here and there just to inform my clients, because I have about 67 regulars with me right now, and I’ve fed over a couple hundred people over the past few years. Some eat consistently…ordering breakfast, lunch and dinner from me for the last number of years, while others just come and go for a select meal,” she stated.
But, what are customers’ favourite meals?
“My top picks would be the New York Strip, and the meatloaf, but my slow roasted brisket is probably one of my top sellers. Also, some other popular meals are Korean beef and chicken souvlaki which I do regularly,” she said. “I always have those options for different proteins.” she noted. Plus, seasonal, local foods from area farmers are always a priority.
“In the winter, for example, my menus have sweet potato as a staple and regular roasted potatoes…that kind of align with what we have offered with vegetables and produce.”
Nevertheless, she recently incorporated her business and is looking to grow it.
While the entrepreneur credits the Brantford-Brant Business Resource Centre for helping her with her business plan, growth is now happening, including a recent move into a commercial kitchen.
“I just moved into the Our Kitchen recently. And the ladies that I have met there so far have been absolutely lovely…[and] they’ve made it a really easy transition for me,” she said. I’m pretty excited…and once I get a little bit more comfortable in this type of kitchen, it’ll be more effective in making these more streamlined and get the business ready to move up to the next level.”
Going forward, Sawkins’ goal is to push The Fine Fettle to 2,500 meals per week without sacrificing on quality, while continuing to lean on word-of-mouth marketing.
“To make that happen, I will need a kitchen of my own,” Sawkins said. “I’m realizing there’s always room for change [as] I really like to listen to my clients and what they’re looking for, so I can learn from them and provide meals that they enjoy.”
