101 – Sarah Booe from Rebecca Ruth Chocolates!

The Sidewalk CEO podcast talks with Sarah Booe of Rebecca Ruth Chocolates in Frankfort, Kentucky. Sarah is the 4^th generation of her family to work in this iconic small business known around the world for its bourbon chocolates.

Sarah discusses growing up in the business.
She is a 2020 graduate of the University of Kentucky
Started working in Rebecca Ruth’s office during COVID, as everything switched to online
She is now the Vice President of Rebecca Ruth
The company was founded in 1919 by Sarah’s great-grandmother, Ruth Hanley Boo,e and friend Rebecca Gooch.
They began at the Frankfort Hotel during Prohibition, using the closed bar
Edna’s Table, a marble slab named for a longtime employee, survived a fire and will soon be part of Rebecca Ruth’s new tour experience
Sarah’s mother has recently opened Miss Risa’s Restaurant for lunch Monday through Saturday inside the Rebecca Ruth store at 629 Versailles Road in Frankfort
Another store is located on the other side of I-64 at 3295 Versailles Road
The main store and factory is located at 116 East 2^nd Street in Frankfort
Sarah just developed a new candy, Bourbon Black Forest Truffle
Ruth invented the bourbon ball, inspired by a conversation with Eleanor Hume at Frankfort’s sesquicentennial, in 1938
Preparation for Christmas begins in July
They managed not to lay off anyone during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as foot traffic slowed drastically, because their online sales boomed.
They still accept phone orders, mostly from loyal, longtime customers who have left KY.
They employ around 35 people without a lot of turnover
Facebook is an essential tool for connecting with Frankfort locals
They aren’t using much technology throughout the business, and still write paper checks
They came through the recent flooding with only some water in their basement
Use several different Kentucky bourbons as they make bourbon balls for local distilleries like Buffalo Trace
One line operation, centered around the extruder that forms the candy dough or center into pieces, which are then chocolate-coated
One batch weighs 60 pounds
They try to keep suppliers as local as possible
Sarah has upgraded the business to Shopify
The new tourism site will be 5,000 square feet, located at the 2nd Street site, and will feature historic equipment, vintage advertising, a history video, and a look into the factory.
A new tourism experience is expected to open mid-June
Besides the 3 Frankfort stores, their candy can be found across KY
Traditional bourbon balls are the core of their business, but they do experiments and add new products