Today we’d like to introduce you to Damon Smith.
Hi Damon, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My wife was making extra virgin olive oil infusions with herbs and peppers for friends for fun and then as gifts. We loved them ourselves, and we were encouraged by friends to sell them. We were somewhat skeptical, but we signed up for a small market at a local brewery to test the idea. 19 people tasted the samples we brought, and we sold 19 bottles. At the same time, I was ready to retire and an incentive to do so was announced the following Monday at work. We took it as a sign it was meant to be. We have been doing shows around the San Antonio area for the last 2 years, and most recently opened a storefront in downtown Comfort on High Street.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, just as we got started my father became ill, was hospitalized and passed away 2 weeks later. I was depressed for about 6 months, so nothing happened with the business. Once I was ready to pick things back up, we couldn’t source any bottles at a reasonable price for several months. Now, I overbuy bottles.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are a culinary oil business and we naturally infuse olive and pecan oil with some interesting blends of herbs and peppers. I enjoy hearing and seeing customers’ expressions, especially when they try any of our calabrian pepper oils, such as calabrian pepper, garlic and basil infused extra virgin olive oil. I believe we offer very unique blends and help make cooking easier for our customers in a healthy natural way.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I spent 25 years working as a financial analyst, with no food or retail experience.
Pricing:
- We sell our oil infusions for $20
- Cold pressed pecan oil for $15
Contact Info:
- Website: https://comfortinfusions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comfort_infusiast
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087373570054
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@comfort.infusions
