Along the way, Inge connected with Conte and Matthews. Inge’s business partnership with Conte began with Inge cold calling Conte after learning he helped a cookie brand, Tate’s Bake Shop, move from a small company to being sold for $500 million to a major food company. Conte was immediately excited about Taste Supply and came onboard as an advisor. “Guy Conte is a rock star in the specialty food industry, so having him as an advisor was huge,” said Inge. Years before, Inge and Matthews, a classically trained chef who studied at The Culinary Institute of America, met when she catered a rat send-off from her food truck business. Around the time Matthews’ food truck business was halted by the pandemic, Inge called her because Taste Supply had entered the stage of connecting with food makers and needed someone with industry experience, connections, and technical knowledge, and Matthews was the perfect fit.
For Matthews, her work with Taste Supply speaks to the strength of the VMI alumni network when it could reach her in an industry as niche as hers. Even though she chose VMI, in part, because of its network, Matthews thought her career choice to be a chef precluded her from leveraging the VMI network. “I never really thought that the VMI network would reach me because of the career I chose,” said Matthews. “But I always kind of know [the network] was there. Then, the pandemic hit and, all of a sudden, the VMI network is reaching out to me saying, ‘No, actually, there is an opportunity for you in this world that you already live in.’”
Now, as a part of Taste Supply, Matthews says, “I always say, never doubt the power of the VMI networks just because you don’t find something immediately; it is there, and it is strong.”
Over the last two years, Inge, Conte, and Matthews have built up their business, and now, with the platform developed, Taste Supply is in the full launch phase as they raise money, onboard food makers, and move their company into the greater food market’s purview. To learn more about Taste Supply, visit their website.