Our Story
When you purchase Neck Nosh…
you are not only adding fun and functional snacks to your event…
you are supporting a social purpose business.
The beginning of a purpose
I met my husband in Mt. Hood, OR while we were working at a camp for persons with disabilities. The experience was incredible- we took campers on rock walls, zip lines and hikes through the beautiful mountain forest. The joy and appreciation campers expressed there was beyond all expectation! We returned to work summers there for years to come.
Developing the passion
From there, I developed a career passion that led to 10 years as a special education teacher in both Oregon and California. My relationship with my students was top priority, as people experiencing life to their full potential has always been of importance to me.
*a funny sketch gifted to me by a student picturing myself as their very pregnant teacher on a scorching day in Sacramento.
A big transition
After the birth of my daughter and my husband’s increasingly intense work demand, my daily schedule called for more flexibility. I decided to put my teaching career on pause to be available to my family.
An idea sparks
During the coming years, my appreciation of craft beer developed. My idea for Neck Nosh sparked in 2017 after my husband’s experience at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver. The attendees who knew of the pretzel necklace trend came armed with the necklaces to cleanse the palate between beer tastings and keep food in the belly while imbibing alcohol over prolonged periods of time. The trouble was, nobody made them for sale and not everyone had time to gather up the supplies before festival. I wanted to solve that problem. Creating Neck Nosh not only fulfilled my desire of promoting fun social experiences, but also kept me in the craft beer scene.
*a beer nerd and Nosh enthusiast, the husband at GABF is pictured right
New beginnings
One thing missing from Neck Nosh was the service related part of my job I’d desired to continue from the past. In 2020, Neck Nosh joined the Alchemist Kitchen Incubator, a local program helping small food business grow and connect with the community. As business grew, I required a team to make the thousands of necklaces shipping all over the U.S. The long-term goal was to employ underserved people.
Full circle
Learning about PRIDE’s teams of persons with disabilities who work on-site at contracted locations was such a treat. We trialed teams in 2021. It was quickly apparent that PRIDE was aptly named, as the employees took a deep satisfaction in achieving goals and being a part of the team. Meanwhile, my passion in working with people of differing learning styles was reignited and my mission for the business was also satisfied through this amazing partnership.
We are excited to announce that in 2022, we continue a contract with PRIDE Industries. See the case study video PRIDE made of our collaboration under our website heading “PRESS”.
This year our customers know they are supporting a business with an awesome product as well as one with a mission to serve the community. An order with Neck Nosh is a win for everyone!