Meats and Cheeses and Olives, Oh My! How this Veteran Launched a Successful Charcuterie Franchise
Kerry Sylvester started Graze Craze in Oklahoma well before charcuterie became a $378 million industry.
This story appears in the September 2022 issue of Start Up. Subscribe Âť
After Kerry Sylvester left the military in 2003, she moved to Oklahoma and earned a degree in business management. But she also claimed a more informal distinction â she was the designated âcharcuterie personâ in her social circle. âWhen we bring food to our friendsâ homes, we want them to say, âWow, you made that?'â she says. Still, as a working single mother, Sylvester didnât always have time to properly plan and execute her boards, and after searching fruitlessly for a place where she could pick up a freshly made board before a party, she decided the only option was to create a company herself.
Just over two years later, Graze Craze has 12 locations around the U.S. â with 100 more expected to open by the end of the year â and the brand recently formed an affiliation with United Franchise Group (UFG), a âfamilyâ of brands that support and counsel each other through the process of franchise expansion. Sylvesterâs timing was fortuitous; the charcuterie business has ballooned into a $378 million industry. But as Sylvester explains, success required a lot of trial and error.
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Why do you think charcuterie has become so popular?
Not all of us are cooks, but a lot of us are creative people. Charcuterie is a way for people who donât necessarily have a food background to become a foodie and create something. I grew up eating charcuterie as a child in England, and when I came to the U.S., it wasnât as popular. So I became the person who brought the charcuterie board.
What were some early challenges for Graze Craze?
The niche weâve mastered wasnât easy. When I went into this, I knew I would need a certain volume of items, and sourcing our ingredients was the most important part. It wasnât about me running to Trader Joeâs! I wanted to be able to say, âOur salami comes from a 300-year-old, family-owned company in New Jersey, and our chocolate bark comes from a chocolatier in Oklahoma and theyâre the only ones who make our recipe.â
There was a lot of testing. I mean, you wouldnât believe how many types of grapes there are. Or crackers! We didnât want to use bagged carrots because thereâs too much moisture; you canât just pull them out of the bag and throw them on the board. Thatâs quick, but itâs not quality. Nothing on our boards is pre-sliced. Itâs important for customers to know they got a board that was freshly made that day. Thereâs
a million beautiful boards on social media, but if you ate that board, would it be as good as it looks?
Franchising for the first time can be intimidating if you donât have guidance from others who have done it before. Is that what attracted you to the first-hand advice you get from an affiliation with UFG?
I never thought this would be a franchise. I had no idea what that would even entail. But Iâve learned so much just in the one or two years weâve known UFG. They really understand franchising, and Iâm so excited about the exponential growth that weâre having.
Whatâs been one of the things that surprised you about starting Graze Craze?
Itâs not just food, itâs the people â itâs where our charcuterie boards go when they leave our stores. You wouldnât believe some of the stories I hear.
One recent story might make me cry while talking about it. There was a lady and her mother who purchased a board for Easter. Her sister had terminal cancer, and she only had a few months to live, so this board was part of their last Easter meal together. She said, âYou just donât know what this charcuterie board means to us.â It blows my mind sometimes. So thatâs the passion part of this.
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After Kerry Sylvester left the military in 2003, she moved to Oklahoma and earned a degree in business management. But she also claimed a more informal distinction â she was the designated âcharcuterie personâ in her social circle. âWhen we bring food to our friendsâ homes, we want them to say, âWow, you made that?'â she says. Still, as a working single mother, Sylvester didnât always have time to properly plan and execute her boards, and after searching fruitlessly for a place where she could pick up a freshly made board before a party, she decided the only option was to create a company herself.
Just over two years later, Graze Craze has 12 locations around the U.S. â with 100 more expected to open by the end of the year â and the brand recently formed an affiliation with United Franchise Group (UFG), a âfamilyâ of brands that support and counsel each other through the process of franchise expansion. Sylvesterâs timing was fortuitous; the charcuterie business has ballooned into a $378 million industry. But as Sylvester explains, success required a lot of trial and error.
Related: 4 Qualities Restaurant Franchisors Look For in a Franchisee
