When I hopped on the phone recently with Emily Rogers and Stephanie Lowe, I was fully expecting to hear about the various meats and cheeses and all of the goodies that go into crafting a charcuterie board. After all, this was an interview all about Cured and Company. We had some fabulous boards to discuss.
What I didn’t expect though was to laugh endlessly (their sense of humor is contagious) and be left in complete awe over their impressive business ethic and true friendship behind it all. These two are a dream team if I’ve ever seen one.
Founded in June 2019, Lowe explains that Cured and Company began as an idea she dreamed up while laying poolside with girlfriends one hot summer afternoon. She’d been inspired by Nashville Cheese Gal and discussed with her friends if they’d consider paying for someone else to craft and deliver a charcuterie board for their group of friends or upcoming events.
They all agree they would, which led Lowe to immediately call Rogers, a friend she’d met a few years prior through a Leadership Huntsville Connect class.
(This is a great story: They met in 2015 while doing a prison tour with the group. They bonded over held hands and shared tears over the experience that emotionally wrecked them. They’ve been inseparable ever since.)
Within hours, they’d decided a second income would be great for both of them and had their first client within a week: a friend’s birthday party.
Charcuterie in Madison, Alabama
After a successful event, they officially announced their business the very next day, and multiple orders poured in within hours.
They’ve been building charcuterie boards ever since and, best of all, are having an absolute ball doing it.
Rogers, a Bob Jones High School graduate, is the Internal Communications Specialist at Mazda Toyota Manufacturing and shares that both her and Lowe love their day jobs and have no desire to leave them. Lowe is the director of engagement for a nonprofit called the Huntsville Committee of 100.
This new business venture though has allowed them to “flex their creative muscles” in enjoyable ways and spend time together as friends making a side income for fun.
Rogers explains, “We have been successful because of modern technology. We use a Google form for collecting orders and have never paid for marketing.”
She went on to explain that Instagram lends itself to organically showcasing their boards; Clients love to take pictures and show off the boards at their events, then tagging Cured and Company on social media.
Rogers says that she and Lowe knew right away that they would need to be “really smart and really efficient” if they were going to have a small business as a second job.
They both pride themselves in prioritizing family first and are constantly taking personal inventory to make sure that they haven’t taken on more than they can happily do.
Rogers says that Cured and Company works extra hard to make sure that everything served is extremely fresh.
“We strive to treat every order like it’s the most special order we’ve ever received.”
While Lowe and Rogers have looked at retail spaces and have considered doing how-to classes, pop-ups, and business consulting, for now, they are satisfied and overjoyed with how things they are going. They both want to continue doing what is working well for them as entrepreneurs but also for their clients: “slinging cheese” and offering a wide variety of charcuterie boards that are ready to be consuming and enjoyed by audiences of all sizes and ages.
Cured and Company Ordering Information
Cured and Company’s entire menu can be found on their website. They encourage potential customers to also browse their Instagram feed to garner an idea of what they’d like their board to consist of.
Small, medium, and large boards are available as well as custom installations for events such as wedding showers, rehearsal dinners, and much more. Plus, all boards include complimentary delivery right to one’s door.
Prices generally fall in the $10/per person price range.
Boards must be booked at least 24 hours in advance, though Lowe says that they already have bookings for events in October.
“Especially if you have a large event, it’s never too early to book.”
Cured and Company can be found on Instagram, Facebook, or via their website. They can also be reached via email.
Giveaway
Rogers and Lowe have generously offered to do a Small Board giveaway ($50 value) for All Things Madison readers. To enter, head over to Instagram to enter. Good luck!
All images by Olivia Reed Photography
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