"I'm really sorry, I guess they're all gone," explained the woman to her new customer. "I brought 100 postcards -- they must be all filled out."
While it may be commonplace for activists at a political rally, wine tasters aren't usually known for their letter-writing campaigns. But at the Boston Wine Expo, Lisa Johnson, founder and owner of Yummy Yammy (R) brand sweet potato salsas, discovered just how passionate a room full of oenophiles can be.
"A hundred people filled out postcards to their favorite stores, asking them to carry our sweet potato salsas," said a stunned Johnson. "I mean, they paid a lot of money to taste these specialty wines, and they liked our new food so much, they took time from wine-tasting to pick up a pen. That's pretty great."
The two-day expo was held at the Seaport Trade Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and extended to additional days for a "week-long celebration of wine, food and culture throughout the Boston Metro area," according to organizers.
By far most expo booths were promoting wines from all over the world. Aside from a number of specialty chocolates, there was very little food. Perhaps that accounts for some of Johnson's rabid new fans.
"We had people two and three and even four deep at our booth the entire weekend," gushed an obviously exhausted Johnson. "The first day there were only two of us, and we couldn't begin to keep up. I hadn't planned to sell much, but they were practically throwing money at us. That night I called my nephew and begged him for help. Thank goodness he came with a friend for Sunday."
Johnson had brought a pack of 100 postcards, because she had just picked them up from the printer. A massive postcard campaign wasn't planned. "It just sort of evolved," she recalled. "Someone asked if they could buy our sweet potato salsas at their neighborhood Whole Foods, and it isn't there yet. So I asked him if he wanted to request it by postcard. And that didn't stop until we ran out of cards."
By Yummy Yammy's official tally, 100 postcards went out to 40 different stores, including 65 postcards to 23 different Whole Foods stores. Despite this onslaught, Johnson reports that it didn't cause any new store purchases. "Buyers are busy, and even though there were 100 total, each buyer only got one, or two, or three, so they didn't see the whole impact."
With the next expo coming up in February, Johnson knows there are two things she's going to do differently this year. "Bring more staff, and bring a lot more postcards."
About Yummy Yammy
Yummy Yammy produces the world's only sweet potato salsa. All our superfood salsas are made with 100% pure flame-roasted sweet potato as the main ingredient instead of tomato. We are a Vermont company delightfully bringing sweet potatoes to the nation.
