About f + k

In 2008 Sarah Goldschmidt launched fig + kindle, a gourmet confiserie and provision shop, out of her Manhattan kitchen.

In 2011 fig + kindle left Brooklyn for Boston in hopes of better commercial space and a less crowded market.

Boston did not offer the retail opportunities that NYC did, and f + k fell at the knees of retailers. The f +k team quickly realized that this deal was wrong. Small businesses that must wholesale to make a living—that is, they are unable to have storefronts or gain access to busy in-person markets— must grow to a size much larger than their strictly retail small biz counterparts. After all, wholesaling slashes the artisans’ profit to less than half.

What about small artisans, cooks, and designers who want to stay small?

And so, after suffering the bruises of trying to survive as a wholesaler while remaining small, intimate, and sustainable, fig + kindle decided to create a market of its own.

fig + kindle has now become a marketplace run by makers for makers. We have thrown out the standard retail model and work with other artisans by commission. That is, our marketplace allows for makers to sell their wares through us, and keep the profits that are rightfully theirs, allowing them to maintain the high-quality, low-volume practices that all of us have in common.

fig + kindle is still a producer of pantry staples and botanicals itself, as we said, we are makers for makers.

WHO IS BEHIND F+K?

F + k is lead by the team of Sarah Goldschmidt and Daniel Boccato. Sarah is a cooking advocate, food anthropologist, and maker of sweets and botanical products. Daniel is a fine artist, illustrator, and graphic designer. They both alternate between Boston and NYC.

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