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Jul 29
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Crumbl Cookies set to open doors this week in Mentor (Ohio)
National chain aims to draw people in with sweet smells
By Jean Bonchak – Published July 27, 2021
Crumbl Cookies in Mentor is the popular franchise’s first store to open in Northeast Ohio. (Jean Bonchak)
In a move that would make Cookie Monster happy, Crumbl Cookies is set to open its doors in Mentor (Ohio). The new shop. with its modern, minimalist interior, is set to host a grand opening on July 30 at 9662 Mentor Ave., across from Target. Currently paired with its distinctive setup is a singular product — enormous cookies created in more than 150 specialty flavors that are offered on a weekly rotating basis.
A prolific research and development department in Utah, where Crumbl Cookies originated, develops new recipes “inspired by popular flavors, foods, desserts of all kinds — from pies to cakes to candies and more,” according to the company website. A themed “Carnival” week recently tendered caramel apple, cotton candy and cinnamon fry bread varieties, along with chilled sugar and milk chocolate chip, the only staple selections on hand daily.
Andrew Fonda, who moved to Mentor from Montana to open the franchise, worked as a chemical engineer prior to specializing in the sweet treats. He said that his initial introduction to Crumbl Cookies while visiting a shop a few years ago was an enticing experience. “The open bakery… you smell the cookies, see the cookies, it was kind of a cool space,” he said. Based on a suggestion from friends, he decided to check out the Northeast Ohio market, scouting possible locations. Ultimately, Mentor fit the bill. “We really like the Mentor area and the communities surrounding it, and we chose a convenient location where people will already be out shopping,” he said. “It’s a great retail area.”
Andrew Fonda is the owner/operator of the new Crumbl Cookies set to open on July 30 in Mentor. (Jean Bonchak)
Visitors to the store will find sleek black-and-white décor accompanied by punches of pink, a confectionary color used for their streamlined, signature cookie boxes. An open-concept kitchen allows patrons to take a peek at the baking process from its beginning, blending ingredients from scratch, to the final decorated product. Orders can be placed online or in-house. Delivery is also available. Fonda noted that the bulk of business takes place on site, where customers capture the cookies’ sweet, sugary smells.
Since its inception approximately four years ago, more than 200 Crumbl Cookies stores have opened in 32 states, and several more are planned. Fonda is already working on an additional establishment for the Mayfield area. A huge social media presence definitely has helped the company’s quick and steady growth. The first TikTok video featuring its cookies drew more than a million views. And its “Unbox the Pink Box” YouTube videos, which cleverly introduce the four specialty cookies being featured for the week, typically garner thousands of looks.
A June article titled “How Crumbl Cookies took over TikTok” by Maile McCann on modernretail.com states that “The keys to the brand’s success are a rotating flavor drop model, social media savvy and a commitment to digital integration at every touchpoint.” Among the batches and varieties presented, one cookie flavor rises to the top layer of crowd favorites. “Our milk chocolate chip is a staple on our menu for a reason,” said Anna Tibbitts, the company’s public relations specialist. “It’s not only award-winning but was the first cookie on our menu when Crumbl started.”
All cookies are boxed and may be purchased separately or in four-, six- or 12-pack assortments. Smaller-sized cookies are available for catering orders only. Boxes can also be customized with a bow, sticker and note for special gift-giving. Store hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 8 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays; and closed Sundays.
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Dec 20
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Mountains to Miracles veteran gift drive a success
Posted by Recorder News – Dec 19, 2017 – by Chantelle DeRose, Recorder News Staff
Chantelle DeRose/Recorder staff
Mountains to Miracles Veterans’ Foundation Office Manager Charlene Fonda organizes donated gifts for veterans.
A gift drive for local veterans and their loyal service dogs was held recently through the Mountains to Miracles Veterans Foundation office on West Main Street.
Mountains to Miracles — an organization founded in 2012 by Tribes Hill native Paul DuBois — provides a plethora of services to local veterans including support groups, transportation, personal care items, furniture, food, clothing and referrals for treatment of depression and similar illnesses. DuBois and a group of volunteers eventually formed the Woofs for Warriors Project following the success of Mountains to Miracles. The program matches local veterans suffering with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma with service dogs. To date, a total of 61 dogs have been placed with veterans in need.
A holiday gift drive, overseen by the Amsterdam Office Manager Charlene Fonda, turned out to be a major success. Donations for the drive were made by the Glen Reformed Church, the Glen-Mohawk VFW Post 942 and the county Christian Women’s Group. Donations from Johnstown, Burtonsville and local farmers were collected for the drive as well. A check in the amount of $1,000 was also presented by representatives from the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers’ Local Union No. 83 in Clifton Park.
Mountains to Miracles Veterans Foundation (MMVF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established to help and serve our veterans in the Northeast who are in need.
According to Fonda, Woofs for Warriors adopts suitable dogs from shelters or rescue groups. The dogs are then trained and the program attempts to help with the cost of veterinary services and dog food. Local veteran Scott Clancy said the program has had a profound impact on his life. Kent, a 6-year-old Boxador, was placed with Clancy on May 18 in 2016. “He knows what he needs to do for me if my PTSD kicks up. Even if he’s laying down, he’ll come and he’ll push me back,” Clancy said. “He keeps track of my blood sugar. He’ll turn the lights on for me when I go home and he’ll search the house to make sure nobody is in there.”
Clancy also said that Kent goes shopping with him and sits behind him to make sure he isn’t startled. Kent also knows how to hand Clancy his medication if he is unable to reach it himself. “It’s amazing what they can teach these dogs,” Fonda said. “The vets would be lost without them.” Clancy said he has seen the program grow since Kent came into his life. “When I got Kent there was only about 20 dogs [with the program]. Since I’ve had Kent over 60 dogs now have been placed,” Clancy said. “They find a good match for the vets. He was probably the sixth or seventh dog. They went around the country looking before they got him in South Carolina.”
Clancy said his life was “a mess” before Kent became his service dog. He described himself and Kent as “the perfect pair.” “Everything about having him is something I didn’t expect. Years ago, I never even would have considered it. He’s actually given me my life back,” Clancy said. “Life right now is actually pretty good. It still has its moments when things get hairy, but I’ve got Kent to help me.”
Fonda said that the not-for-profit organization is in need of donations now that Christmas is quickly approaching. Large scale gift drives, Fonda said, usually deplete much of the organization’s funding. Monetary donations to assist veterans with rent, heating, utilities, food and any other service they need can be made payable to: Mountains to Miracles Veterans’ Foundation. 347 West Main St., Amsterdam, NY 12010. Those wishing to donate can also contact the office by calling 518-842-6683.
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Aug 25
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Big plans in Fonda’s future
The Leader-Herald – August 25, 2017 – Kerry Minor, Reporter, kminor@leaderherald.com
Shown are conceptual plans for the future of Fonda. (The Leader-Herald/Kerry Minor)
Fonda – The village is planning a new comprehensive plan to plot out what the future of the village might look like. During Tuesday’s unveiling for the new Nathan Littauer Primary Care center, village mayor Bill Peeler discussed the plan, and how the new facility fits into it.
Peeler said the comprehensive plan will serve as a map of the wants of the community. He said the goal is to make sure village residents are getting what they want and not just what village officials preserve them as wanting. “We have a lot of ideas, but we want to make sure that is the vision that our people have,” Peeler said.
Peeler said the village has involved both communities and businesses both in and out of the village in the comprehensive plan. He said a draft plan has been created. Peeler said he is asking residents to let village officials know what they want to see and why they have chosen to live here. “This will go out to the public for approval and changes, amendments and the like, because we want to make sure what ever we are shaping is exactly what folks in our community want to have,” Peeler said.
Primary considerations for the plan is infrastructure and its impact on development. “We cannot have facilities like [Nathan Littauer Primary Care] if we cannot provide them proper services,” Peeler said.
Village Mayor Bill Peeler speaks during the event. (The Leader-Herald/Kerry Minor)
Peeler said recreational facilities are also part of it, along with historical preservation. Residential improvements to the older inventory of homes and creating new housing are touched upon in the plan. Economical development, disaster mitigation and fiscal planning are all a part of the plan. Peeler said the village is also looking at shared services, including meeting with the village of Fultonville. “A river does not separate us, it’s just a river. We are Fonda-Fultonville. We will always be Fonda-Fultonville,” Peeler said. “We want to work with our neighboring communities to keep improving not just our community, but their communities as well.”
Peeler said the village will look into creating a zoning plan. He said Fonda is one of only two communities in Montgomery County without zoning. “That is going to be vital to us getting grant funding,” Peeler said. The plans are not just economic however, Peeler said the village is looking to bring entertainment to the village park with a stage for concerts and other events and creating a campground facility.
Peeler said the county’s plan to move out of the Park Street Office Building and DPW facility will help the village with its waterfront vision. Peeler said the Park Street Building could be turned into condominiums and the DPW facility could be turned into an entrance to the campground. “The goal of our efforts is to make our community a place where we can enjoy our rural culture while seizing economic opportunities. A place you would want to come to visit and live,” he said.
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Aug 07
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Weathered Ground Brewery breaks ground in Cool Ridge
By Jordan Nelson – Register-Herald Reporter – Aug 6, 2017
A good omen for groundbreaking day.
Weathered Ground Brewery, located on a high-country 30-acre farm in Cool Ridge, has been a brewery-in-planning for two years. Saturday, it officially opened its doors, offering that distinct craft beer taste to anticipating locals. A joint effort between husband and wife, Sam and Aryn Fonda decided they wanted to move back near Aryn’s childhood home of Daniels, and search for the craft beer business opportunity. “We had been living in Charlotte, N.C., for the past six years,” Aryn Fonda said. “We wanted to move back to where I grew up, and after having our daughter, Willa, we finally did so.”
Aryn said she and her husband found a farm in Cool Ridge, and decided not only to open up a brewery, but to live on the property as well. “Growing up here, I have a special connection with this place, and we wanted to bring something to southern West Virginia that we thought many people would love.” Aryn’s husband Sam worked at two breweries in Charlotte in the past, so they were able to transfer their knowledge of the subject into their own business. “We wanted to do our own thing, and this is something we have always been interested in,” she said. “We have wanted to grow organically for a number of years and use those items for our brews.”
With Winterplace Ski Resort just up the road from the brewery, both Sam and Aryn hope during the winter season Weathered Ground will be an attraction to tourists. “There are so many outdoor opportunities out within this area,” she said. “We are hoping to expand that even more with our brewery to not only locals, but to the people that come and visit the state.”
(Brad Davis/The Register-Herald) Patrons hang out in the main pub area during the grand opening celebration for the Weathered Ground Brewery Saturday afternoon in Cool Ridge.
Carter Lewis, of Charlotte, N.C., drove to Cool Ridge for the brewery opening. He said he did not want to miss out on the event. “I’ve heard that the brew master, one of the owners, is actually from Charlotte as well, so it’s really something to learn that he’s bringing his knowledge here,” Lewis said. “I think this will do something great for this small community,” he said, while sipping one of the many brews available at the facility. “So far, every one of the beers taste really good.”
Sam Fonda said the brewery plans to hire only local employees. “We want to provide opportunities for people around here, and we don’t want to stray away from that.” Sam said the idea for the name Weathered Ground came to him and Aryn once they learned of the history of the land. “A lot of animals were raised out here, and a couple of generations of families lived out here as well,” he said. “We believe the property is weathered by people and nature, and it was a name that stuck and had meaning.” Sam explained his nervousness about opening something new in the area, and said sometimes the anxiety sets in. “We have a few panic attacks every now and again,” he said with a laugh. “But we are confident in the beer we make, and we are confident in the type of people we are. All we really want to do is bring something cool to the area, and we really hope it works out.”
Within a barn-like building, the dining area of Weathered Ground houses spacious seating, high ceilings and a full-size bar on the back wall, offering several brews, coffee and other non-alcoholic beverages. During the grand opening Saturday, local musical favorite The Kind Thieves, along with Vessel, a band based out of Louisville, Ky., performed to customers outdoors at the back fields of the brewery, where picnic tables are placed all around. Customers were able to enjoy a cold brew indoors, or take their brew outdoors to enjoy music and company.
Aryn said she and her husband found a farm in Cool Ridge, and decided not only to open up a brewery, but to live on the property as well.
Christina Wright, of Oak Hill, said she had heard some buzzing about the new brewery and wanted to come check it out for herself. “I’m highly impressed,” Wright said. “There’s breweries in the Fayetteville and Lewisburg area, but they’re all usually closed off to the public, nothing like this.” Wright said she thinks Weathered Grounds will be a big plus to not just the Cool Ridge area, but throughout the state as a whole. “I really enjoy these types of venues, and I will definitely continue to come back.”
Aryn said since they have just opened, their food menu will be based on simple, more snack-related items. “We have some really good snacks people will want to try out, though,” she said. “We’re going to have chicken salad sliders, pepperoni rolls, just a lot of finger foods.” She said if the brewery progresses and expands as she and Sam hope, they will expand their menu with more lunch and dinner items.
For now, hours for Weathered Ground are Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m. Aryn said those hours might expand as more staff becomes available. “We’re just really excited to finally be open, and we hope it’s a big hit.”
Links: Website, Facebook, Instagram, Video
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Jul 24
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Fonda fish farm happy under Italian owner
Business, 24 Jul 2017 / By Sta
Lucija – The Fonda fish farm has managed to expand as well as preserve its strategy and jobs since being joined by an Italian strategic owner a year ago. The family-run business, which specialises in breeding top-quality sea bass, partnered with Vale Ca’ Zuliani from Ravena a year ago in order to keep the business running. “The mood is very positive. We’ve kept all the jobs, our company’s strategy,” the director Irena Fonda has told the STA, also praising good two-way cooperation in transfer of know-how.
The fish farm employs 18 people plus seasonal workers. The Italian partner has let them preserve their quality-based direction and approach in the supply of customers. “We have broader shoulders than we used to have,” says Fonda, adding that they have managed to expand the farm capacity after initially failing to get the support from a creditor bank. Despite the red figures at the moment owing to the fact that the fish is not big enough to be sold yet, the cash flow is encouraging, she said.
The farm focuses on quality rather than quantity, aiming to sell most of the bass locally. The fish quality increases the further north you go in the Adriatic, and “we are the northern-most fish farm in the Adriatic”. At first they sold virtually all of their fish abroad, while 13 years since launching the business and ten years under the Fonda brand, most of the fish is sold in Slovenia, and increasingly many to Austria. An important factor has been education of customers through guided tours of the fish farm. “People come here, have a good time for an hour, while they also learn quite a lot.”
The director has noted a change in people’s mentality. As the start of their business, Slovenians ate 5.3 kilos of fish pert capita a year, a number that has doubled to ten kilos since. Still, the figures remain low when compared to more than 25 kilos in Italy and more than 44 kilos of fish per capita consumed in Spain. One of the farm’s plans is to place Slovenian fish on the menus at Slovenian schools and kindergartens. “Kids like good fish,” says Fonda, adding that one problem is public procurement rules.
Natural ethos nets success for Slovenian fish farmers
By Kester Eddy, Financial Times, June 11, 2013
Irena Fonda leans over the side of her boat and throws a handful of food pellets into the waters of the northern Adriatic. After a pause, the water is suddenly alive with fish, thrashing just below the surface. “They are not right today; they are normally waiting for the boat. It’s probably because of the storm,” Ms Fonda shouts above the wind. The boat is just inside the Slovenian waters of the Bay of Piran, in the northern Adriatic: ahead is an array of circular fish cages, up to 12m in diameter, holding around 1m sea bass that Ms Fonda and her brother raise from the age of seven months to five years. A few metres behind us is the maritime border with Croatia.
There are scores of aquaculture – fish farm – operations in the Mediterranean, but none quite like the Fonda Piran Sea Bass farm, which is small, currently yielding a mere 50 tonnes of fish annually. The industry benchmark for profitability is five times that, and farms in Greece and Turkey are typically 500-1,000 tonnes or more.
Fishing for profit: Ugo Fonda applied his expertise in marine biology to fish farming. After his death, the company has continued to be run by his daughter Irena and her brother Lean, both biologists
The Fondas, Irena and brother Lean, are biologists, who – with their now deceased father – in 2001 took the profits from their underwater engineering business and turned their scientific minds to producing a better-quality, healthier sea bass than those of the large commercial farms.
To prove the point, Ms Fonda points to the depths. “You see, the nets are overgrown with algae. Most farms use antifouling agents, but these are bad for nature and I’m sure it’s bad for the fish,” she says.
But eschewing chemical methods means using divers to clean the nets manually, a time-consuming, expensive process. Nonetheless, the Fondas apply this ethos to every aspect of the operation, from identifying the highest-quality fingerlings – juvenile fish – bought from hatcheries in France and Italy, to sourcing the very best fish-food producers.
They also harvest the fish in supercooled brine – effectively putting them to sleep – to cause the least stress. The result is sea bass with a lean, tasty body that has been tested to reveal mercury levels at just 4 per cent of the legal limit. Despite prices of between €16 and €25 per kg at the farm shop – a 100 per cent premium over sea bass from large commercial farms – demand is outstripping supply. For good reason, says Curt-Daniel Scheffler, executive chef at the Kempinski Palace Hotel, in the nearby resort of Portoro.
“Irena Fonda presented her fish during the hotel’s pre-opening phase [in 2008]. I could see straight away that this was a very ambitious company, with a high-quality [product], very different from ‘factory fish’, with automatic feeding and chemical net treatment,” he says. Fonda sea bass has been on the Palace menu ever since. But widespread success was initially elusive. Ms Fonda admits that their original assumption – that the public would recognise and pay for high-quality fish – was extremely naive. “People just saw our fish was more expensive, and asked why. It was very disappointing,” she says.
Irena and Lean Fonda amidst fish farm pools
At first, almost the entire production went to Italy, which has a more discerning fish-loving public. But even with the higher prices achieved there, the operation was unsustainable. The team reviewed their strategy, selling via a newly created website, Web Store Fonda, guaranteeing the freshness of each fish with an individual tag, dating the catch. They also offered to deliver fish all over Slovenia in special boxes, packed with ice.
Almost overnight, a public that had shunned sea bass on the slab carrying a 20 per cent premium began changing its mind. Having won a string of domestic entrepreneurial awards for the Fondas’ efforts, the brand is now well established in Slovenia, which accounts for 70 per cent of sales. Yet the business still struggles. Despite official policies to encourage private enterprise, a project to double the size of the farm was delayed for three years by ministerial red tape. And the banks have tightened credit lines – a near-crippling blow to a business that needs four to five years’ investment before any return appears.
But as the Fondas’ fame spread, an increasing number of people asked to see the farm. “At first, we just welcomed visitors, but it began taking too much time. So we started charging, showing tourists the cages, feeding the fish, and then having a little degustation afterwards, with local wines and produce,” Ms Fonda says. Around 1,200 tourists last year brought in €40,000 – a small proportion of total farm revenues of €1m – but it needed no new investment. “We need three lorry loads of feed per month in summer, at about €30,000 a time. That has to be paid,” she says.
The Fondas have invested in new equipment and educational material, expecting to double numbers to about 2,500 visitors this year. But there are limits. “It’s a good way to add value to our brand, but we do not have the structures for mass tourism. We take each guest personally to the farm with the boat; it takes time,” she says.
Lean, Ugo and Irena Fonda
The Fonda family’s battles with bureaucracy, banks and even their own naivety in areas of business outside their expertise is a common enough experience for entrepreneurs in the former communist states of central and eastern Europe, says Andreas Antonopoulos, rector of the University of New York in Prague and professor of entrepreneurship.
Governments and ministries across the region struggle to understand entrepreneurs – that is if they care in the first place, Prof Antonopoulos told the Financial Times. “In my experience, [in the past] they did not really care, and now that the importance of entrepreneurship and what it results in for the local economies is starting to dawn on policy makers, they have limited understanding of how to help out,” he says.
There is much these governments can do to cut bureaucracy and ease excessive or sometimes contradictory regulations, he says. “The most obvious starting point for governments wanting to help is to stay out of the way, and facilitate entrepreneurs to spend all their energy on their ventures, ie cut red tape, taxation, complexity and bureaucracy, indeed, minimise interaction with the state. “They should try to see it from the entrepreneur’s point of view; estimate how much time, effort and money a new venture would need to spend on state-related tasks, and seek to minimise that cost,” Prof Antonopoulos adds.
Entrepreneurs are turned off by the amount of paperwork involved in seeking state subsidies, he says. “Monies are rarely put to genuine good use, although I’ve seen a couple of more promising schemes around.” The situation is slightly better in the western Visegrad Four states (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland), where entrepreneurs generally face fewer hurdles than further east, primarily due to the more politically and economically mature societies. “These countries have more developed domestic markets, somewhat easier access to capital and more advanced legal systems and start-up communities,” Prof Antonopoulos says.