A popular local confectioner announces a rebrand
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Business has been sweet for one South Burlington confectioner formerly featured on Made in Vermont.
Facing exponential growth since opening up shop, Nomadic Kitchen is now operating under a new name.
For the past four years, Alexx Shuman has been whipping up artisanal marshmallows. You might know her sweet little business by the name of “Nomadic Kitchen.”
When WCAX News first met Shuman to feature Nomadic Kitchen on Made in Vermont, she was just getting started.
“I started this out of my parents’ home kitchen kind of by accident in 2019,” said Shuman.
But two mixers, four pots and three bowls didn’t cut it for long, as her artisanal marshmallows began to melt the hearts of customers in Vermont and beyond. The former pastry chef eventually moved out of her parents’ kitchen into a shared space, and most recently, into a custom space of her own. It prompted what Shuman calls a slight identity crisis.
“Who are we if we have all of the space that we need? And who are we if we’re not nomadic anymore,” said Shuman.
In 2019, Shuman was in 15 stores. Now, that number sits near 100, with some as far as California and the Nomadic Kitchen name was getting hard to explain.
“When I called it Nomadic Kitchen, it was almost like I was giving myself an out. I was like, I don’t know if anyone is going to care about this. I don’t know if it’s going to work, I don’t even know if I’m going to be a decent entrepreneur,” said Shuman.
Turns out, people did care, and Shuman is a decent entrepreneur, at the very least. With all eyes on the marshmallows, Shuman decided it was time for a rebrand, now called, “The Vermont Marshmallow Company.”
“Back when I was starting the company, my dad was like, ‘Why aren’t you calling it the Vermont Marshmallow Company?’ I didn’t know this until I shared about the rebrand, but he had the URL reserved because he was like, this is what it should be,” said Shuman.
Dad may have been ready from the beginning, but it’s been a journey for Shuman. From farmers markets to national news features, even making marshmallows for Prada. This confectioner says the new branding turns the focus on her, over to the place she calls home, her team, her community, and of course, her marshmallows.
“Over the past four years, that’s who we’ve become. We’re the first and only marshmallow confectionary in the state, and we’re claiming who we are,” said Shuman.
Related Story:
Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.
