A self-taught Willy Wonka is winning high profile customers with his wild flavored chocolates, like sweet potato, French bleu cheese, and bacon caramel shortbread. That's just a sampler of what Phillip Ashley Rix has concocted for his eponymous, artisan chocolate company. Rix's chocolates were doled out at the Oscars, a box sits on Morgan Freeman’s nightstand, and they're consumed by some of America’s top CEOs. Each one has been lovingly named, starting with his signature, “Mama Jean,” a sweet potato-flavored dark chocolate ganache. They’re made by hand, and have been dreamt up, and produced by Rix, at his professional kitchen in Memphis, Tennessee.
“I wanted to manipulate chocolate and chemistry. I didn’t want to replicate anything that was out there. I wanted to know the science, and know the rules, so I could break them – mixing blue cheese and chocolate, to create a piece of art that’s almost a miniature dish; a flight of tastes in one thing, like fig jam and port,” says Rix.
The unusual flavor pairings didn’t happen by accident – in fact, almost nothing about Rix’s business was unplanned. That, the 35-year old says, has been the key to his success. While working as a corporate marketing and sales executive, first for FedEx, and then for Apple, Rix spent years thinking about opening his own business. He knew it had to be based around food, a lifelong passion. Once the chocolate idea hit him in 2007, it became an obsession.
Rix, who spent his childhood tugging at his Grandmother Jean’s apron strings. He knew nothing about chocolate, but with bars of the dark stuff being lauded for their health benefits, it seemed like an obvious business idea.
“I didn’t want to do something traditional, and I didn’t want to have a restaurant or do catering. I wanted to set up my own business and one day chocolate just hit me. There was no formal path at that time, so I absorbed every bit of information I could from books and online, which was much more limited than it is now.”
Rix had a natural knack for chemistry and began to eat, sleep and dream chocolate. He says he’s constantly thinking about how to push the limits of flavor, going over and over ideas several times before he gets into the kitchen; a necessity of time, and money. As global commodities go, cocoa beans and chocolate don’t come cheap.
“I create a lot in my head. Before I got my own facility, I was working in a very small kitchen, so wastage wasn’t an option. I had to conserve and be very diligent about what I was making. Chocolate is expensive enough as it is. It was a good thing, because now, I strategize my next flavor. I’ve probably made it over 30 times in my head before I ever make it.”
But even before Rix started teaching himself how to produce chocolate, he carefully plotted out his business plan, using everything he learned at Apple, and in other roles to hone his strategy.
“I was a business manager in corporate sales, marketing Apple’s products and services. I managed a sales team focused on small, medium and large businesses, but I also trained staff and helped open stores. It helped me from a retail perspective. Understanding logistics, supply chain and having detailed experience in marketing and branding helped me develop my chocolate brand, as opposed to just becoming a chef for the love and the art.”
Rix used charity events as impromptu focus groups, taking advantage of impartial taste testers to gauge the popularity of a flavor. In 2013, he opened pop-up stores, at banks, boutiques, corporate office buildings, and art galleries – another way to test the market. Rix tapped his strong personal network, built through years working at large organizations, to get his chocolates into the hands of influential people. It worked. He and his sweet stuff made their Hollywood debut at the Oscars.
Recognition from some of the world’s most famous, and fickle customers, has been great for business, but Rix has his eyes on a more sustainable customer segment. He’s going after the corporate gift-giving market, not only for the large accounts and longevity, but for its masterful marketing tool.
“When a company is sending my chocolates to 300 people, I’m getting marketing to 300 people, and revenue. It gets into someone’s hands, and I receive a call about my chocolates. The corporate sales were really how I got a lot of product out there in a short time span, particularly before I had a store. This was a good way of getting it out to lots of people.”
The marketing, Rix says, goes both ways. He’s interested in helping companies convey their personality and identity through his chocolates. Rix consults with corporations to design a flavor exclusive to their brand.
The first retail store opened in Memphis last year with just $30, 000 in capital, money Rix raised through savings, micro-loans and small scale investors. He later took on a partner, and in his first year, Rix’s chocolate has brought in nearly $100, 000 in revenues – money he’s pouring back into the business.
Rix plans to expand into wholesaling, but for now, his chocolates can be ordered online, shipped throughout the country and internationally. His chocolate gems filled with gourmet goodies come at a price: a box of six for $29, twelve for $49 and 24 pieces for $79. But, Rix says, the quality of his ingredients and his exotic flavors command the price.
“One of our chocolates has a 50-year old balsamic vinegar, which costs about $300 for a 3-ounce bottle. Some of the cheeses can cost up to $17 a pound. I wanted to create one of the most unique lines of chocolate out there.”
And, with mash-ups like jam, Spanish goat’s cheese and port, in one piece of chocolate, he’s done just that.
