FAITH IN THE RIGHTNESS OF THINGS

For five decades my family has owned an 86 acre slice of heaven amongst the rolling hills of the Paso Robles region.  My grandparents bought the ranch in 1960 for a ridiculous price, but back then no one wanted to live here.  Though I haven’t always lived at the ranch, I do now and I have seen the landscape in Paso Robles change over the years from almond orchards to vineyards.  Over the past twenty years, the area has proudly earned its spot on the map as a California Central Coast food and wine destination, currently becoming the fastest growing wine producing region in California.

At the end of 2008, as the economy was headed south, I decided I had to make a change in my entrepreneurial career.  I had begun a local non-profit five years earlier.  The organization provided grocery shopping & home delivery for the local elderly, disabled & home-bound.  Though it was a much needed service, the constant drive to promote such a service with little return began to wane.  Making a change required strategic maneuvering.  What was I going to do amidst an era of enormous job loss?  I knew I seriously had to tap into my strengths, resources and be true to who I was.

At first, I was considering developing a line of gourmet mustards in assorted flavors.  While at a friend’s house I saw a Savoy magazine featuring BUTTER.  I picked it up and began to read.   My mind instantly switched from mustards to butter.  The possibilities were endless and I became excited.  I love butter and I use it every day.  I knew I had to develop a product that was in keeping with my French/Irish heritage and honor the region in which my grandparents chose for our family homestead.  I began to research butters infused with flavors, commonly known as compounds and without hesitation, began to pull together what is now known as Paso Robles Butter Company, Inc., a wholesale distributor of specialty butters.

I had to consider the region in which I live and the many opportunities to market such a product locally.  What drove the local economy?  Wine!  How could I use this locally grown ingredient in developing my compound?  Chardonnay & Cabernet are the two leading varietals of the Paso Robles growing region.  It was so obvious what my leading compounds would be.  In developing the formulation for my product, I discovered that the compound mimics the French Beurre Blanc & Beurre Rouge sauce when gently melted in a pan.  Perfect!

The product is extremely versatile.  Made with organic butter and natural herbs, it can be used as a spread or a sauce.  The Chardonnay butter is wonderful with seafood, shellfish, and chicken, while the Cabernet butter pairs well with steaks, lamb, and pork.  It helps the home cook become an instant gourmet chef.

I market the butters to gourmet retail shops, winery gift shops, meat markets, restaurants, fish markets, caterers, bakeries & cheese shops.  Plans are also in the works to offer the product for sale through our website www.pasoroblesbutter.com

As much goes into the development of a gourmet food product, all the components become a journey, a learning experience and the story.

I’m proud of my heritage, my family, and the community in which I live.  Now I can honestly say I’m proud of the product I’ve created, born from the ingenuity of the entrepreneurial spirit and being true to ones passions and one’s self.  As my grandfather would recite to me as a child growing up, “you have to have faith in the rightness of things, to throw yourself out on feathers and wings”.  Thank you Grandfather, Grandmother and especially mom, for laying the ground work for me to pursue a dream.  I hope to make them proud.

Tammy Anderson

Paso Robles Butter Company, Inc.

Paso Robles, California