Annika Pfluger, Owner of Red Thread Confections

I chose Annika Pfluger, Owner of Red Thread Confections, to be my next guest because as a business owner, single adoptive parent, and world class musician, her story is interesting on many levels.  My close second reason, of course, is that I am addicted to chocolate and Annika happens to make it.

Not just chocolate, mind you.  Handmade, intricately hand-painted organic chocolates made from the finest ingredients and with nothing artificial added.  In the past year that I have known about Annika, I have secretly browsed her website, stalking her adorable little chocolates’ every move.  After all, a true chocolate lover knows that just because you can’t eat it every day, doesn’t mean you can’t spend the afternoon pretending you were.   (On a personal note, I have to say I’m not sure why men don’t show up for dates more often with chocolates.  THIS WORKS, trust me.)

In the spirit of giving back, and following along the lines of the “Red Thread” legend (which you will read about below), Annika donates a portion of all Red Thread Confections proceeds to orphanages in China, Guatemala, and Ethiopia.  So if you want to really impress someone, while also giving to a good cause, do the right thing.  Be a man.  Bring chocolate.

1. At what age did you know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I actually had no clue that I wanted to be an entrepreneur until just 5-6 years ago. But looking back, there were definitely signs pointing in that direction. I was always a bit of a risk taker and tended to pursue non-traditional paths throughout my life. I’m a classically trained professional cellist with a Master of Music degree. And I spent a year in Budapest, Hungary (before the iron curtain fell) studying at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music on a Fulbright Scholarship. I also traveled to Guatemala to adopt my son as a single parent – and what a fabulous adventure that was, and continues to be! So, while it may have taken me a while to traverse the various paths that led me to entrepreneurship, I’m now thrilled to be the sole owner of Red Thread Confections – a business I developed and have grown from the ground up.

2. What is your product or business and how did you get started?

Red Thread Confections is a unique artisan handcrafted chocolate business. I hand paint each chocolate with organic all naturally colored cocoa butter. I trained at Ecole Chocolat based in Vancouver, Canada and studied artisan chocolates and confections at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. I got the inspiration for my company from the ancient Chinese Legend of the Red Thread: “At birth, an invisible red thread connects us to everyone in our life who will become important to us. That thread may stretch and shrink over time, but it will never break.” As an adoptive parent, the red thread legend is very close to my heart. I believe that my son was connected to me by the invisible red thread at birth and that he will also be forever connected to his birth family and birth country by that same red thread. Red Thread Confections honors the red thread legend by donating a portion of the proceeds from each sale to orphanages in Guatemala, Ethiopia and China. Another part of our mission is to create red thread connections with each of our customers – once you try our chocolates, you’ll be forever connected as well!

3. What separates your business from the competition?  In other words, what makes it special?

All of my chocolates are lovingly made by hand using no automated equipment. I use premium fresh ingredients and don’t use any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives in any of my confections. Each piece is hand painted with organically colored all natural cocoa butter. We also donate a portion of the proceeds of each sale to orphanages in Guatemala, Ethiopia and China.

4. What separates you from other business leaders?  In other words, what makes YOU special?

I am currently running all aspects of the business – from sweeping the floor at night to developing all of our recipes to packing the boxes. I believe that by becoming an expert at each job within the company, it will enable me to be well positioned for future expansion.

5. What is a typical day like for you?  Not just work, but the good stuff, too.

Up early with my coffee, then I get my son up and ready for school. In the meantime I head down to my production space and start the chocolate tempering. While my son’s in school, it’s all about making chocolates, packing orders and marketing for sales. After my son gets home, we have a nice late afternoon and dinner together and then maybe off to soccer practice. After dinner I start working on my computer/administrative duties, bills, accounting, etc. Late nights after my son is in bed, it’s either back to the commercial kitchen space to work on more chocolate production or I’ll continue with the computer/administrative duties. Long days… but so worth it!

6. Has being a single entrepreneur helped you or hurt you in business and why?

I see it very similar to being a single parent, actually. There are pros and cons – the pros are that I get to make all the decisions and don’t have to be accountable to anyone except myself. The cons – well, those would be the same – I have to make all the decisions and there’s no one else who could be accountable for a nice change of pace once in a while.

7. Describe the ideal person who would complement both your life and your business.

The ideal person would be someone who loves sales and marketing. That would really complement my needs. That way I could focus more of my time on recipe development and production.

8. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I see myself freaking out because my son will be just about to get his driver’s license – LOL! No, really… I see myself in my future beach house on Block Island while my business is flourishing.

Annika’s Bio:

Annika Pfluger is the Owner/Chocolatier of Red Thread Confections, LLC. She’s also a professional cellist with an active teaching studio. When she’s not busy in her kitchen developing new recipes and making chocolates, or teaching cello students, she spends her time enjoying life with her 6 year old son, gardening and hunkering down with a great book.

Want to connect with Annika?  Follow her on Twitter and Facebook!