Washington Business Spring 2019 | Washington Business | Page 53

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“The one thing that I stay very involved with at this company is the package
design and the product development. It encapsulates everything that we believe
in and how we present ourselves to customers.”
It’s what ties her first big job, in marketing at Microsoft, to her current
entrepreneurial position.
“I don’t miss a meeting. They know that no packaging goes out the door
without my approval. And I have to love it. That’s my own filter. If I don’t love
it, we’re not doing it.”
beware of competing on price
Thompson has worked hard to create a slate of flavorful products and an
expectation that these treats are worth paying for.
“Consumers are outraged when chocolate costs $10 a bar, but they may not
bat an eyelash at $40 for a bottle of wine,” she said. “That’s where our mission
comes in — to elevate the perception of chocolate and how it fits into your life as
a food. Like other categories, chocolate has unique flavor notes, varying origins
and varieties of cacao (cocoa) beans as well as differences in how the chocolate
is made. It’s all of these things combined that make chocolate so special.”
She has seen Starbucks do that with coffee, craft brewers do it with beer,
vintners do it with wine — and now she’s pushing to do it with chocolate.
Part of that is collaboration, and it feeds into her passion for helping other
makers of fine chocolate who are just starting out.
“We need to elevate the entire category, and that’s why you help each other.”
just make a decision
Thompson points to her father as her greatest mentor. He’s worked in high-
tech, sales, business leadership, and — even at age 81 — still runs a business
(a tennis club).
“He would say to me as a child: ‘Make a decision. It doesn’t matter if it’s the
right decision, because you can always change directions later and learn from
a mistake. But if you don’t make a decision, it’s going to take you down.’ That’s
so inherent in my spirit!”
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