Calvert City, Ky – The purchasing coffee and chocolate purchasing festival attracts thousands of people to Calvert City, Kentucky. Hold on the first weekend in March each year, the event includes dozens of small businesses. Buyers roam items such as handmade jewelry and homemade candies.
It is the third annual festival and the first year that Calvert City was in charge of the event.
Blair Travis, Calvert City marketing event coordinator and said the festival benefits the city by attracting thousands of people in the region.
This year, there is no admission fees, allowing buyers to have more money to spend with the sellers.
A seller, Caryn Lyles, has and operates cooked by Caryn LLC. Lyles launched his business after losing his job during the Pandemic COVVI-19. She had always liked cooking and wanted to start her own business.
Although she started by making wedding and birthday cakes, she now offers many menu elements, including some gluten-free, because she follows a gluten-free diet herself.
“It was incredible, especially with all the inhabitants of the city who do not have a gluten -free bakery option. So it fills this market. This gives everyone the opportunity to try new things and have good treats,” said Lyles.
Lyles added that the advertising of her gluten -free articles was not easy, she therefore appreciates being able to participate in events like the festival.
“Make people have known to people that I have gluten-free options. It is difficult to get this out via social networks and things like that. So be in an event like this one makes the word pass. They see it, they see my sign and my logo, and they are like, Oh my God,” said Lyles.
Recently, egg prices have increased across the country. For this reason, Lyles works to hold its customers informed of higher ingredient costs and find ways to avoid the article.
“This is one of those things where you are trying to build these prices. I try to eat the cost as much as possible until it is unbearable. But I rotated by trying to find different recipes that use less eggs, which use different ingredients in this direction,” said Lyles.
Danette Humphrey is the CEO of Cookies in-a-Bag and came to the festival to meet people and sell her product. She is a teacher but sells mixtures of cookies on the side.
Cookies in a bag are sold like all dry ingredients, so she does not have to worry about the costs of eggs, although she said that the price of chocolate is a little higher than usual.
Humphrey does what it can to maintain its low prices for families who wish to buy local.
Caryn Lyles
“Everything is mounted. And so, I do not want to stack, I suppose … And so, I am really understanding and empathetic for families who have children and who want cookies … I did not want my product to increase. As, yes, it is cut to my profit. It is.
Lyles and Humphrey appreciate those who come to events like the festival to shop locally.
“The more gluten -free products buy at home, the more I can experience and test a new gluten -free recipe. And one of my last offers, or the latest recipe development, is that I test new gluten -free breads and things like that. So you don’t buy something frozen,” said Lyles.
“I love to meet local populations and share what we are doing. Everyone loves cookies, and it’s really good to be in local events like this one, because I like to talk to people, know them, expose them to my product. And then sometimes people suggest that they suggest you in a store locally.
The festival will continue on Sunday March 2 at 9 a.m. with a low period of sensory shopping. The event will completely reopen the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Calvert City Civic Center.
