Another Day, Another Cracker
Ever wonder what it might be like to own a cracker business? If you haven’t, it’s okay, I hadn’t before all of this either! But now that I do, I want to give you all a little taste of what it’s like!
While current conversations among friends and family are whirling around the idea of shifting to hybrid work schedules or returning full-time to the office, my conversation over the past year hasn’t changed: My employees and I never left the office! Since we’re in food production, we’re essential workers. So, my days have looked about the same during all this, and they go a little something like this…
6 a.m.: Rise and shine! Time for breakfast and brain food. I whip up my favorite combo: toast with manuka honey and a latte!! I read the NZ newspaper (are you surprised?), the NY Times and do the crossword. I check my phone and send a quick reply to an email about a delivery coming today. Oh, and I can’t forget to feed Max, our golden retriever.
6:30 a.m.: Good morning and goodbye! I wish my sleepyhead kids a good morning before grabbing my lunch and heading to my car—time to hit the road and get my podcast on! One of my faves is How I Built This, and I listen to every episode! With hardly anyone on the road, it’s a peaceful drive in. But, I’ll admit, after so many years of driving on the left side, I still need to remind myself that being on the right is right!
7:00 a.m.: I’ve arrived at my destination. As I walk in the most incredible smell hits me—wow— I can always tell when we’re making rosemary crackers! The kitchen starts running at 4 a.m., so today’s pallet is starting to fill. More than 1,500 boxes of crackers going out the door today!
8:00 a.m.: Local delivery! The first stop is Lexington Co-op. I always enjoy deliveries and getting to have a quick chat with the grocery manager or buyer.
9:00 a.m.: Quick gut check. Back to the kitchen to meet with the electrician and gas people. I’m looking at buying another oven, buuut I need to check to see if it’s even an option.
10:45 a.m.: Time to dot my i’s and cross my t’s. Gotta attack the long to-do list... I have a call with our design agency, send a couple of invoices, pay a bill, and place an order for our new organic sanitizer. Yup, part of our organic certification was also changing over our cleaning supplies.
12:10 pm: It’s time for lunch! Boy am I starving! I’m having a salad and you guessed it, crackers—yum! When I’m done, I take a walk around and see how everyone’s day is going. Oooo! A customer just called to change their subscription from monthly to weekly. Happy customers make my day!
2:00 p.m.: It’s time to ship some crackers! An employee and I wrap a pallet. It’s not exactly fun, so I help with this when I can. That reminds me…I need to look again at buying a machine that can do this for us!
4:30 p.m.: Mrs. Fix-it. Hooray the new broom rack has arrived (it’s the little things, people)! I get my tool kit and attach it to the wall.
6:00 p.m.: What a day! I check to make sure everything’s cleaned and put away and lock the door. I get a text from my daughter reminding me she has soccer tonight; watching my kids play sports is the absolute best!
7:15 p.m.: Winner, winner the hubby made dinner. I’m home and my amazing husband is cooking us up something delicious. This right here is my favorite part of the day: eating dinner with my family. With my eldest off to university in fall this time is precious!
8:45 p.m.: Unwind time. I sit down on the couch and put on Shark Tank (did you expect anything else?)
9:20 p.m.: Reset and rest. I make my lunch for the next day and get ready for bed. I reflect on what a productive day it has been, and I can’t wait to get back at it tomorrow!
And there you have it, a little snippet of what my days are like. Is it what you imagined? Were you surprised I didn’t allot for more cheese and cracker breaks? I know, I’m disappointed by that, too. My days are busy, but I wouldn’t have them any other way. I’ve never been one to sit still for too long, so this whole owning a cracker business is everything it’s cracked up to be, and I love it!
