Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Apthorp.
Hi Christine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The thought process behind Alms + Fare is a long one, starting in college. To give some background, I am from the Washington, D.C area. I was always very interested in international politics and global humanitarian aid efforts — this is what I studied in college. Throughout my studies, and through jobs with the Department of Defense and State Department, I realized the impact I personally wanted to make, was locally, in my own community, at a grassroots level. After working for the government shortly after school, I was determined to start something that made an impact that I could see.
I was living on my own for the first time and really started to be mindful of the ingredients in the food I was eating and the impact it had on my health and energy. I went into a full deep dive in overall health, nutrition, and exercise — truly creating a lifestyle of incorporating elements of health to live an abundant life, while fueling my body with good and flavorful foods. I realized that I could start something that married these two passions: health and wellness, and giving back. Alms + Fare was born.
Our mission from the very beginning is to make sweet things simple, with treats that are nutritious, and most importantly delicious, and to give back to our community. Since our start, we have been committed to giving 10% of our profits to charities in our community focused on hunger alleviation, and food education and accessibility. Teaching others the importance of the impact of food on our bodies and lives, whether it be a customer of ours, or a child in one of the programs we support is truly gratifying. This is where our name comes from – “alms” means charitable giving, and “fare” for food.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest, consistent struggles that I dealt with, especially in the beginning, was being comfortable with uncertainty. As a type A personality, this did not come naturally. But as a business owner, you have to be learn to be okay with it. I think the only thing that gets you through the discomfort of not being able to plan every detail and how it’ll play out, is having confidence in yourself and your decisions. At first this is so much easier said than done, because you don’t have much of a precedent. But as time goes on, you learn to trust your gut a bit more and lean into the uncertainty, instead of shying away from it or trying to control it. This is often where the best ideas come from, in my case at least, when you are not trying to force a plan or idea, and you can think, decide, and act freely. Another, would be the double edged sword of being your own boss, but also being the end all, be all decision maker. I have often wondered whether the business decisions I’ve made have been the right one, and while some have not been, they have nonetheless led me to where the business is today, and I wouldn’t change it regardless of if I knew the outcome when I made the decision. Sometimes you just have to plan as best you can, try it out, and if it doesn’t work, then pivot and be flexible and resilient. I believe it all leads back to the perspective in which you view how and why things happen, and the mindset you have around them, and the action you take moving forward.
As you know, we’re big fans of Alms + Fare Wellness Bakery. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Alms + Fare is a wellness bakery and cafe specializing in more wholesome desserts and foods. We offer gluten free, dairy free, naturally sweetened desserts, drinks, smoothie bowls, and toasts! Our mission is to make sweet things, simple with treats that are nutritious, and most importantly delicious, and to give back to our community. Since the beginning, we have been committed to giving 10% of our profits to charities in our community focused on hunger alleviation, and food education and accessibility. This is where my passion is, in teaching others the importance of the impact of food on our bodies and lives, whether it be a customer of ours, or a child in one of the programs we support. This is where our name comes from, “alms” means charitable giving, and “fare” for food.
How do you think about happiness?
My community! I absolutely feel more connected to my community because of my business. It has allowed me to curate a space for people to gather and commune over a treat and cup of coffee. This was my goal when designing our current location — to provide a place for people to come and feel comfortable to work, read a book quietly, or meet with a friend! We have so many incredible regular local customers and customers that are visiting St. Augustine! I have also been able to connect and collaborate with other incredible local business owners through events that we’ve hosted. St. Augustine has a really wonderful and supportive small business community. Beyond this, and connecting back to the mission of Alms + Fare, we’ve been able to connect deeply with the two nonprofits we give to: Epic Cure & the Grace Garden. In addition to giving 10% of our profits, we also give our time by volunteering for their cooking classes. We will either go into the Boys & Girls Club or a local community space, and host a cooking class for the kids to both bring a meal home, and to go home with the knowledge and skills on how to cook a healthy meal. These two things have allowed us to dig deeper roots into our community, staying connected and further seeing what needs it has – which makes me happy!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://almsandfare.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/almsandfare
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/almsandfare
