CRANSTON – Fifteen years ago, Aura Fajardo Quintero, a graphic designer, never imagined herself working with chocolate. Now, Fajardo Quintero owns a growing chocolate business that recently received an $8,000 boost from the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream program.
Fajardo Quintero, owner and chocolatier at Aura’s Chocolate Bar in Cranston, was one of five entrepreneurs to compete for this distinction in a pitch contest held as part of RIHub’s Rhode Island Startup Week, which concluded last week.
The pitch competition, held live at Hope & Main food incubator in Warren, was a first for Fajardo Quintero. The five featured entrepreneurs presented before a panel of judges in a live broadcast, with the winner chosen by viewers in a text-in vote.
“We only had two minutes to get across the work of four years,” Fajardo Quintero said of the experience, “so that was a challenge.”
But in a close vote, Fajardo Quintero came out on top, winning the $8,000 grand prize and a year of personalized mentorship from Sam Adams.
Fajardo Quintero moved to Rhode Island in 2004 from Venezuela, where she worked as a graphic designer. She originally planned to continue focusing on this career path but discovered an affinity for cake decorating when she began making cakes for her family, which melded naturally with her art career.
She enrolled in Johnson & Wales University’s Baking and Pastry Arts program and discovered her passion for working with chocolate while interning at Hebert’s Candy Mansion in Massachusetts.
“It was scary, it was overwhelming – But at the same time, I fell in love with chocolate,” Fajardo Quintero said.
After graduating, Fajardo Quintero found a chocolatier job at a wholesale bakery in Massachusetts, where she spent five years perfecting her craft and gaining experience in multiple facets of the business. But Fajardo Quintero wanted to branch out and make her own creations. So she bought a chocolate machine, enrolled in Hope & Main’s Food Business Startup Boot Camp, and launched her business in 2017.
Aura’s got off to a whirlwind start: Fajardo Quintero had no other employees and oversaw everything from the business’ licensing to designing and making the chocolate’s packaging and labels. But her work paid off when the business sold 3,000 bars within its first three months.
“That’s when it hit me, this can actually work,” Fajardo Quintero said, “and people were actually receiving my product and super excited.”
The business continued to grow, and in 2018, Fajardo Quintero received her first invitation to the New England Chocolate Festival in Boston.
Fajardo Quintero’s parents now help with the administrative aspect of the business, though she remains the sole chocolatier.
“The great thing is, as a business owner, I get to do my graphic design for all the graphics for the company,” Fajardo Quintero said, “and I get to play with chocolate too, so it works.”
Fajardo Quintero primarily sells in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, but hopes to “little by little” expand throughout New England, and within the next few years, possibly reach other areas of the country. But for now, Fajardo Quintero’s current workload keeps her busy while allowing room for gradual growth.
“I feel like Willy Wonka,” Fajardo Quintero said. “I finally have the time, the place to be creative and share the chocolate love with the community.”
With the $8,000 the business won in the pitch competition, Fajardo Quintero will purchase two new pieces of equipment that she said will double her business’ capacity for making chocolate bars and allow her to diversify the products she sells. With the new machines, Fajardo Quintero will be able to work with more flavors at once and produce chocolate that caters to people with dietary needs such as no-sugar or soy products.
Through the Brewing the American Dream program’s mentorship opportunities, Fajardo Quintero also hopes to focus on staying competitive, growing her marketing and reaching other parts of the country while retaining an artisanal edge.
The competition’s four runners-up – The Black Leaf Tea and Culture Shop, Pickily, Town Farm Tonics and We Be Jammin’ – each received $1,000 from the program.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
