时事新闻:巧克力曲奇女王的创业故事

【英文原文】

Building a Chocolate Chip Empire

Bite into a Tate's Bake Shop chocolate chip cookie and you'll quickly realize that butter is the not-so-secret ingredient. The thin, crispy, caramel-tasting treats are the signature product of Kathleen King's Southampton, N.Y., bakery and the guilty pleasure of beach-bound Manhattanites, celebrity fans such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Rachael Ray, and cookie lovers around the country. Growing up on a Long Island farm, Ms. King began baking as a kid and now some four decades later sells her confections in 40 states to the tune of $6 million in annual revenue. Her wholesale facility in nearby East Moriches churns out 24 million cookies each year, sold in clear plastic bags for $5 a dozen at retailers such as Whole Foods, Gelson's and Central Market. Ms. King, 50 years old, today has 55 employees, two cookbooks and an ultimate plan to sell her company for a sweet price, of course.

Edited interview excerpts follow:

Q. What inspired you to start your own business?

A. I was baking and selling cookies at my dad's farm when I was 11. He said, 'You have to buy your own clothes for school,' so I said, 'OK.' When you grow up on a farm, you start working the day you start walking. We were raised in an independent self-sufficient way so it was just incredibly natural for me to finish college and create my own job. My mom told me about a fully equipped bakery for rent in Southampton. When I was 23, I bought the location I am still in today. At the time, it was just putting one foot in front of the other. I lived at home; I didn't have any major responsibilities. That's the beauty of being young and naïve I didn't know what to fear.

Q. Did you work hard to make your cookie stand out?

A. I honestly never had a plan. The chocolate chip cookie was always my specialty. My dad said. 'You can't just have a store selling chocolate chip cookies.' So I made other American things apple pie, cakes and muffins. But the bottom line is that I still make my living off chocolate chip cookies the rest is fluff.

Q. Are you surprised at how many fans you've won?

A. Sometimes it's a little overwhelming! It's rewarding because we're very strict on our quality control. My staff takes tremendous pride in the product. If someone has a complaint, we take it to heart. We try the best we can to stay on top of our game, because there's always someone trying to compete.

Q. How have your marketed your business?

A. When I first got into the wholesale business, I literally went into Manhattan with a shopping bag and walked into stores [like legendary market Balducci's] saying: 'Can I sell some cookies?' We got orders. Then our reputation started to spread. We do a lot in the community, such as donating to fundraisers, and the community has been good to us. As far as celebrities, they just find our products on their own. You get a lot of exposure here in the Hamptons you never know who's coming in or who you're selling to. That's one of the reasons for my success.

Q. How did you grow your business beyond the Hamptons?

A. I have an amazing business manager who's been able to help me reach this level. He meets with distributors, negotiates deals and then we open up territories and start shipping. We do tastings and in-store specials, then we go to another territory and do the same thing.

Q. How has your company fared during the recession?

A. We've done relatively well. It makes us all work smarter. We watch everything closely and we cut where we can. We never cut on quality but if I can buy a paper bag cheaper, we do that. My retail-store business isn't growing because rentals (in the Hamptons) are down, but the wholesale business is growing. People tend to eat more sweets when stressed.

Q. What's been your biggest challenge?

A. Breakage and shelf life is a constant challenge. People want an all-natural product, but they want it to last 6 months. We just keep trying to create a better mousetrap.

Q. What are your long-term plans for the company?

A. My long-term plans are to continue to grow the business and to be the best chocolate chip cookie in the country and to eventually sell the company. I don't have any children and there is no niece or nephew that can't wait to run Tate's. I'd like to sell when I'm young enough to climb up the highest mountain.

Q. What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs just starting out?

A. As you try to make decisions, take the emotion out. When we start a business, it's like raising a child. You start from nothing; you put everything into it; and you watch it grow. But it's not a child. When you take the emotion out of decision-making, everything is clear. Your business will grow, and everybody will be better for it.

【中文译文】

咬上一口Tate's Bake Shop的巧克力曲奇，你会很快意识到黄油就是这家烘焙店的“秘密”武器。这种香薄酥脆的焦糖味点心是凯思琳•金(Kathleen King)在这家位于纽约南安普敦的烘焙店的拳头产品──也是让纽约曼哈顿区居民、格温妮斯•帕特洛(Gwyneth Paltrow)和雷恰尔•雷(Rachael Ray)这样的名人以及美国各地曲奇爱好者欲罢不能的美味。凯思琳•金在美国长岛的一个农场长大，从孩提时代就开始了自己的烘焙生涯，如今──四十年之后──她的点心畅销美国40个州，年收入达600万美元。她位于纽约附近东摩里奇斯(East Moriches)的批发工厂每年生产两千四百万曲奇饼，这些产品以一打5美元的价格、透明塑料袋包装在Whole Foods、Gelson's以及Central Market销售。如今50岁的凯思琳手下有55名员工，还出版过两本烹调书，她最终的目标是卖出自己的公司──当然要卖个能尝到甜头的价钱。

采访内容整理如下：

问：是什么让你产生了创业的想法？

答：当我11岁的时候，我就开始在父亲的农场里烘焙和销售曲奇。他说，“你要自己买校服”，然后我说，“好啊”。如果你在农场长大，那么从学会走路那天起，你就开始工作了。父母一直要求我们要自食其力──所以读完大学后自己创业对我来说是再自然不过的事情了。我的母亲告诉我南安普敦有一家设备齐全的烘焙店要出租。23岁那年，我买下了那家店，至今我仍在经营它。那个时候，我就是一步一步按规矩来。我住在家里，没什么大的负担。那就是年纪轻轻和未经世事的好处──我什么都不拍。

问：为了让你的曲奇与众不同，你是否曾付出过很大努力呢？

答：老实讲，我从没有什么计划。我对做巧克力曲奇一向很在行。我的父亲说，“你开的店里不能就卖巧克力曲奇呀”。所以我也做一些其他的美国特色食品──苹果派，蛋糕和小松糕。但是，归根到底我还是靠做巧克力曲奇讨生活──其他的东西都是摆设。

问：你的曲奇赢得了那么多人的喜爱，你对这一点感到吃惊吗？

答：有时候我确实觉得有点儿受宠若惊！这是对我们重视质量的回报。我的员工对我们的产品深感自豪。如果顾客有什么不满，我们会非常认真地对待。我们尽最大的努力保证我们的高标准，因为我们的竞争对手总是存在。

问：你的营销策略是什么？

答：当我最初进军批发市场的时候，我真的是拿着一个购物袋来到曼哈顿，走进商店（比如久负盛名的食品商场Balducci's），然后问，“我能在这里卖点儿曲奇饼吗？”我们得到了订单。然后我们的名声开始打响了。我们在社区作了许多事情，比如向筹款人捐赠，而社区也回报了我们很多。而至于那些名人，他们都是自己找上门来的。我们在汉普敦有了很多亮相的机会──你永远也不知道谁会光临，或者谁是你的顾客。这是我成功的原因之一。

问：你是怎样将业务扩大到汉普敦以外的地方的？

答：我有个很棒的业务经理，他帮助我达到了这个目标。他和分销商见面、谈判，然后我们就开拓了新的市场，开始了运送。我们搞些免费品尝和店内特价，然后我们进入另一个市场做同样的事情。

问：在经济衰退的这段时间里，你的公司经营状况如何？

答：我们做得还不错。衰退让我们所有人工作起来更用心了。我们密切关注着一切事情，并尽可能削减成本。但我们从不会在质量上打折扣──不过如果我们能够买到更便宜的纸袋子，我们会去做。由于（汉普敦的）租金下降，我的零售商店业务没什么进展，不过批发业务正在增长。人们在有压力的时候通常要吃更多的甜食。

问：你最大的挑战是什么？

答：破损和保质期一直是我们不断要面临的挑战。人们喜欢全天然食品，却希望保质期能够达到6个月。我们一直在努力经营出自己的“一招鲜”。

问：公司的长期计划是什么？

答：我的长期计划是继续扩展业务，制造出全美国最好吃的巧克力曲奇，最后卖出我的公司。我没有孩子，也没有什么外甥侄女等不及要经营Tate's。我希望能够在还算精力旺盛的年纪卖出我的公司，来攀登更高的那座山。

问：对于那些正在创业的企业家你有什么建议吗？

答：不要带着情绪去做决定。创业就像抚育孩子：从零开始，投入全部，看着它成长。不过企业不是孩子。当你不带感情地去做决策的时候，一切都变得清晰。你的生意会不断壮大，每个人也会因此而受益。