Meet Brittney Fernandez | Entrepreneur & Home Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brittney Fernandez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brittney, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have been a longtime passionate home cook and baker. Over the years I experimented with different spice blends to keep our family meals interesting. After getting positive feedback on various dishes I prepared with my spices, and questions about the seasoning blends I use for my meat and vegetables, I decided to hone in on my spice blend formulas and offer them as products.

I specifically wanted the spices packaged in jars with a wide mouth because I was routinely frustrated when my measuring spoons did not fit into store-bought spice jars. As small as it may sound, making the measuring process just a bit smoother became a big factor when I was meal-prepping and cooking. Plus, far less spice ended up on my countertops.

I knew the combination of boutique, handcrafted spice blends combined with packaging to make the product easy to use was the direction I wanted to go.

The gift sets, refill bags, and other seasonal products I offered were a natural extension of the original concept.

What should our readers know about your business?
Big Batch Energy is built on a combination of flavorful recipes and a practical approach to packaging. In my prior job, I was a fulfillment director at a large packaging facility, so I learned in detail how packaging is almost as important as the product itself when it comes to successfully launching an idea in the retail/consumer goods space.

When I first started, I offered 4 spice blends based on my normal home cooking. I wanted the packaging to convey the message that Big Batch Energy spice blends are a specialty product for the gourmet home chef. We used a few simple “Sonoran desert” themed colors in the branding to honor our Southwest roots.

The initial sales at markets and on social media went well (better than I expected, even), and I had repeat customers from my local community. Additionally, I would frequently get asked whether I carried other seasoning blends.

Common asks were for BBQ seasoning, Cajun seasoning, and Curry seasoning.

Over the months I experimented with new spice blend formulas and began expanding my product line. As of January 2023, Big Batch Energy has a total of 9 spice blend products on the market, including in one local store as well as my online store.

The biggest challenges I have are my own self-doubts. It took a few months before it really kicked in that people want my product. Once I believed in what I was offering, the next challenge was getting myself out there, doing local markets, and making sales to people who don’t know me and don’t follow me on social.

As a naturally introverted person, I had to become much more confident in customer-facing interactions, as opposed to being on the backend design and packaging side of the business.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the time since I launched Big Batch Energy is to not be afraid to ask for the opportunities you need. Reaching out to local market owners, store owners, and other local business people was key to my early traction. You just never know who will give you a shot, but you have to believe in it first.

Big Batch Energy is a brand built around practical authenticity. My products bring immense flavor to all varieties of home cooking without any fillers or additives and are very easy to use for home chefs due to the packaging design.

Rest assured, if you have a Big Batch jar in your spice cabinet, then you have what you need to add your favorite bold flavor to all your home-cooked dishes,

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Tucson is a great city for both in-town activities and getting outside into nature.

The first place I would take anyone visiting is the Tucson Botanical Gardens, which is easily one of my favorite spots in Tucson, and it’s kid-friendly!

After that, we’d go eat at Filiberto’s, my favorite fast-food Mexican place in Tucson. We’d take our food up Mt. Lemmon, have a picnic, and finish with an evening hike. For dinner, we would have grilled shawarma chicken, seasoned with our Big Batch Energy shawarma blend.

At some point during the visit, going to the Sonoran Desert Museum is a must, especially for anyone visiting with kids.

Afterward. we would head up the foothills to Mr. An’s Teppan Steak and Seafood, which is the best Hibachi Grill in town.

The rest of the days would be filled with some combination of the following activities and locations:
1. Walking to the top of Tuamoc hill.
2. Eating at “North” Italian Restaurant.
3. Hiking up Sabino Canyon.
4. Hitting up the Heirloom Farmer’s Market (especially if I’m working it!)
5. Walking the loop at Reid Park.
6. Going downtown to 4th Avenue for a night out.

Finally, for any of my friends I can convince, I would take them to a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class at Sonoran BJJ. where my husband and I train BJJ.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have had a variety of support and opportunities that allowed me to create and grow this business.

As far as organizations go, I want to thank the Tucson Brunch Market and the Heirloom Farmer’s Market for giving me the initial opportunity to be a vendor at their events. The early sales I got at these events encouraged me to keep going forward before I truly knew whether people would want to pay for my product.

In terms of individuals, I must thank my dad for his support in helping me with this. My dad has helped me with numerous markets, each of which requires unloading, prepping my booth, working the booth, and of course, cleanup.

I also want to thank my husband for his support and encouragement throughout this process, including helping me with my website, design, and branding. Plus, he takes care of our young daughter while I work in the markets with my dad. So, it has truly become a family operation!

Website: www.bigbatchenergy.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigbatchenergy/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigbatchenergy