Founder Spotlight: BJ Howard of Wild West Chocolate
Meet BJ Howard
BJ Howard started Wild West Chocolate in Missoula, Montana with a simple idea: chocolate sweetened by fruit instead of sugar, made without dairy. The result is a certified-vegan, Fair Trade line of dark and oatmilk “milk” chocolate sweetened only with organic dates, mulberries, peaches, and mangos, with no added sugar, no sugar alcohols, and no artificial sweeteners. A Bucks County, Pennsylvania native who fell for Big Sky country, Howard built the brand around a love of the West's wild rivers, and the company donates a share of every sale to protecting them.
Company:
Wild West Chocolate
A woman-founded, women-led, mission-driven brand, is redefining indulgence and changing the game in confection with a trailblazing, organic chocolate that's sweetened with a blend of four naturally sweet, whole-ground fruits. With NO ADDED SUGAR, NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS, and NO SUGAR ALCOHOLS, it's premium, clean-ingredient chocolate that's as simple and honest as nature intended and doesn't compromise on taste.
Location:
Missoula, Montana
When did you launch the business?
2023
Startup Stage?
Growth/Expansion
What led you to where you are today?
A great product idea by Doug Brent, our principal owner and investor, incredible formulation by our chocolatier, Guy Debbas, my branding and commercialization vision, and a hardworking team of people who bring it every day.
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
How hard it would be to scale a business, manage limited resources, not let the doubters get you down, and deal with the market challenges that are completely out of your control.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
Probably how and when to issue unavoidable price increases due to rising cacao costs — if done too soon, you could price yourself out of the market and competition just as the brand is taking root. The other was the decision to go with our branding in the first place. It was a big risk because it's so different, but I wanted people to understand and notice how amazing the product is.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
As Wild West Chocolate grows and expands its platform on social media, on retail shelves, and online, building a community of plant-based people who support this lifestyle choice, I believe it will raise overall awareness for VEGPRENEUR and potentially introduce those consumers to other VEGPRENEUR projects, brands, and community engagement.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
Inversely, I think VEGPRENEUR's community, followers, and supporters alike would be pleased to know and support an indulgent chocolate alternative to dairy-based confection, without missing or compromising on any of the flavor or eating experience. It is a great way to network and cross-connect our products with other plant-based brands in the market to increase overall awareness.
Fun fact about you:
I'm a simple baseball mom at heart.
Anything else you would like to share?
We are mission-driven and support Wild and Scenic Rivers, but we also focus our Giveback Campaigns on MMIWR (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives).
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