Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Cann.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was introduced to my first empanada over 20 years ago while living in Miami. I asked my Argentinean then husband, “Where have these been all my life?!” From there, my passion grew and as I traveled for my Online corporate world profession working at companies like AOL, Publicis Sapient and Yahoo!, I sampled local variations of empanadas in many different countries.
My little family moved to Costa Rica and embraced a simpler and more serene lifestyle. We watched turtles hatch, picked up lucky sea beans, surfed, hiked, biked, rode horses in the mountains, jumped from waterfalls and watched beautiful sunsets over the ocean. A few years later, Lala and I moved back to the U.S. and made our way to a beautiful hippie town called Coconut Grove in Miami, yet we missed the simplicity of a calmer life. We were so fortunate to find our “Mayberry by the sea” here on the Space Coast of Florida after having traveled here for Lala to compete in a surf competition. When I was pregnant, music-filled our house and I sang, danced, and spoke to my baby that I called “Lala” hence the name Lala Empanada. Maybe the song “caravan” played a part in her name…The birth of the business idea came from my daughter’s enthusiastic encouragement as I talked about moving from heels to flip-flops again. After a brain surgery, I realized that it was time to embrace a simpler life and not let another moment slip away, hence the tagline, “Keep It Simple”, which holds so much meaning for me. I immediately sprang into action and started producing empanadas every day gaining consensus from friends as to the best pastry dough and Argentinian style fillings. I obtained a license, permit and insurance, found a commissary kitchen, got a logo designed, picked out packaging and three weeks later was graciously offered the opportunity to participate in the Cocoa Village Art & Craft Show which was attended by 20K!
My favorite part of it all is seeing the expressions on people’s faces who are avid fans and those who are experiencing their first taste. Sharing in the joy of that is a part of the “why”. These baked half-moons of pastry with sweet or savory fillings are inexpensive, hand-held, grab and go, versatile and they rock! Variations of empanada-like pastries are found in every country around the world from Argentina to Sri Lanka and beyond. My hope is to be able to walk into any grocery store, not just an independent grocery and find prepackaged empanadas to grab n’ go and meal proportioned frozen empanadas. You know, the hot dog that’s been rotating all day in the convenience store, I’d like to see the choice of a healthy empanada being offered for the hard-working consumers who pop in to grab a bite and barely have enough time to eat. I’d love for students to have the opportunity to enjoy them for lunch too. Stay tuned! God has blessed my daughter Lala and me and there are so many people helping to grow the business. I am very grateful. I’m looking forward to many more years in this welcoming community and introducing more of you to Lalalicious empanadas.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I’ve learned so much about the food industry through food vendors that have been established for many years who have experienced the ebb and flow of being a small business owner, I’ve gotten to truly know restaurant owners here in town and continue to reach out asking questions about their business models and what’s made them successful to how they would handle situations. I’ve found great joy in lending a hand to other chefs in the industry especially during these tough times of Covid. Starting a business in the midst of Covid presented many challenges from events being canceled to not being able to find people to hire. Somehow many of us have just put in a massive amount of hours and shifted our businesses to increasing online sales. Thankfully, it also made sense to pivot and concentrate on a broader client base.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Lala Empanada?
I got started at the end of 2019. I’m passionate about my calling and love working in the food industry. Small business owners are a unique breed. We seem to share the commonality of falling down and standing back up. We’re like a cat with nine lives working in a very unpredictable environment where the food supply chain is broken. The secret is being adaptable and flexible and our industry is ripe with very passionate people. We are creative, fun have a natural street smart business acumen that’s been honed by learning from others, trying new and different approaches and thinking outside of the box. One asset lies in the sheer enjoyment of making creative cuisines and wanting to please our customers. We get instant gratification of obtaining feedback and watching customers experience our food. I’m most proud of making a culturally diverse food that is healthy has a unique twist and bringing an affordably priced baked not fried empanada to the market. It’s folding each empanada by hand for local events and no matter what, finding a way to make a show successful putting in long hours to hand roll over a 1,000 empanadas to fulfill the demand for a show on short notice because of my passion. It’s skipping through the grass at 3AM to go and bake before a show and crying with gratitude. I have spent a lot of time on my brand consistency and taking a multi-functional approach to every aspect of the business. I’m excited that by the grace of a higher power, the business has expanded and the focus has always been learning about my customer’s wants/needs and accommodating them. I learn about customers through my feet being on the street, participating in local events, reading reviews, looking closely at media insights, texting and calling customers. I love knowing many of you by name and remembering the conversations we shared even when I haven’t seen you for months. With the business model shifting, online sales are increasing. I’m working with a co-packager and setting my sights on obtaining a broader audience base through retail partnerships. We’re now offering a weekly and monthly subscription of empanadas online for our avid fans!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Succeeding in anything throughout my life has only been through taking interest in others and listening to learn. Lately, I’ve been working a lot with the USDA and I can’t begin to tell you how helpful, knowledgeable, professional, kind and generous they have been with their time. All the effort they place into growing my business is greatly appreciated. I’ve learned so much in this process. It’s only been through asking questions and leaving what I think I know at the door and being open, honest and willing to take anything on that this thing called life works.
Contact Info:
- Email: Beth@lalaempanada.com
- Website: https://www.lalaempanada.com/
- Instagram: lala.empanada
- Facebook: @lalaempanada
Image Credits
NPI Productions.
