Best Chocolate. Period.
Word of mouth may be the most inexpensive and flattering form of advertising. An individual becomes so enchanted with a product, she can’t help but tell her friends to try it. The friends try it, and soon they are telling more people. A chain reaction is set off. Before long, the product goes viral.
No one knows this story better than Asha Carroll, the Small Business Administration’s 2022 Vermont Exporter of the Year.
“In 2021, a young woman in Wyoming who owns her own business did a TikTok about our chocolate, and it went viral. All of a sudden, we started getting inquiries from across the world: Greece, Australia, the UK, Singapore — you name it,” explained Carroll, owner and founder of Phasey, a purveyor of functional foods — primarily chocolate — to support women’s menstrual cycles and hormonal health. “Consumers and retailers started reaching out to us on Instagram and emailing us directly about buying our chocolates.”
Four years ago, Phasey wasn’t even a company. Carroll had just moved to Vermont from New York City, and she started experimenting with different concoctions on her stovetop to make a special kind of chocolate just for her.
“I had experienced particularly painful periods and PMS symptoms for much of my life, and explored various solutions — holistic and conventional — but nothing ever really clicked, and I never felt comfortable talking about it,” Carroll said. “So I started working with an herbalist and a dietician, who both encouraged me to try out cycle support via functional foods and herbs. With their help, and a nutrition education of my own, I soon found a solution that made a real difference for me, a total game-changer. But in order to incorporate those new practices into my daily life, there was a lot I had to keep track of. I found myself wishing it could be easier, and more fun. So I started making my own small-batch chocolate, mixed with adaptogenic herbs.”
Once she got the recipe just right (and the relief to match), Carroll started sharing it with friends and family who were seeking similar solutions. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, so much so that they suggested she start selling it. She decided to give it a try at the Rutland Farmers’ Market.
Carroll went to the market with the attitude of stating exactly what her chocolate is, in an effort to address the stigma about hormonal and reproductive health that had been a part of her story.
“What struck me was how many people were having a similar experience and really wanted to talk about this. They didn’t just come to buy products; they wanted to have a conversation,” she said. “From these interactions, I started to develop a sense of responsibility — not just to create a quality, effective product but to educate and connect,” she said.
Her business didn’t even have a name yet, but thanks to word of mouth, she was selling more and more week after week.
“Once I had more demand for chocolate than I could make on my stovetop, I knew I had to do something and make this an official business,” Carroll said.
When she lived in New York, Carroll owned a vegan baking business that she ran for a number of years. At that time, she knew there were resources available for small-business owners, but never got around to utilizing any of them. As she set out to build Phasey, Carroll contacted the Center for Women and Enterprise — an organization funded by the Small Business Administration that offers free business counseling to women entrepreneurs — and began taking some of its free courses.
“There was a lot of figuring it out as I went with my first business,” Carroll said. “With my second business, I wanted to start things off in a more methodical way. I was able to use the CWE as a lab to strategically think about how I wanted to start my next business.”
There was much to do, including finding a chocolatier to mass produce her products and retailers who would carry them. But first, she needed to give her company a name.
She kept thinking of something related to moods, or cycles. She created a list of potential names, which she titled “Phase.” One day, while brainstorming, she happened to doodle a “Y” at the end of the word, and she liked how it read and sounded. Phasey was born.
A short time later, she contracted with a Brooklyn chocolatier with a strong commitment to sustainable practices. In 2019, she was able to land a coveted spot at a grocery showcase in New York City to get her product in front of retail buyers from across the country.
“Our first two years have put us in a great position,” Carroll said. “And it all started right here in Vermont. Before we went viral on TikTok, I’d had no idea the international demand would be what it is. What started as a niche interest has become something with greater mass-market appeal; the market for our products is much larger than I initially thought it would be.”
Recently, Carroll partnered with an award-winning e-commerce business in the UK. Now she has her sights on selling to several retailers in Australia.
“The most surprising aspect of receiving all these direct messages and emails across the globe is that the comments and questions we receive continue to be the very same ones our customers were chatting about at the Rutland Farmers’ Market. It’s validating to know that our product is reaching, helping and convening conversations with people all over the world," she said.