Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelvi McFadden.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
In 2019 I started baking because I wanted something homemade. For years anything that I baked came from a box or freezer. The last thing I baked from a box was not good, so I said that was it, no more boxed products. I found a recipe online and baked it exactly as the instructions said, but it was only OK. I tweaked it several times, changing things up until I was finally satisfied. This was cornbread and the best cornbread I’ve ever had. I then moved on to cakes. My mom makes the best pound cakes and rum cakes, so I wanted her recipes. I tried her recipe for pound cake, and it was awesome. Now it was time to branch out with tweaking and perfecting things I like. Baking can be expensive because some ingredients are higher priced than others—the most expensive item is vanilla extract. I was spending so much on the vanilla extract that sometimes I was limited on how much I could bake. After checking out the ingredients for the extract, I knew I could make my own, and I did. I did research, asked many questions, and did a lot of experimentation (because I’m a scientist). This ignited a creative switch in me that can’t be turned off. My first batch of vanilla extract was so good that I haven’t opened a store-bought bottle in over 2 years.
I’ve educated myself on vanilla beyond anything I could have imagined. Creating extracts is right up my alley, being a medical laboratory scientist. My creativity is limited in my professional career, but my experimentation expertise is phenomenal. This gave me the understanding of creating extracts I would not have had outside of the clinical laboratory. When the pandemic hit in 2020, and the country was grounded, I was on extract overload. I had as many as 30-40 ingredients extracting, constantly testing them to develop my recipe for each one and imploring family and friends as my trusted tasters. I received so much positive feedback that I decided to turn this creativity into a business.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This has not been a smooth road. Although I get the most joy and excitement from making the extracts, I’ve learned there’s a lot to running a business. My first challenge was picking a name. I had many ideas, but none of them felt right. Then one day, while talking to my sister in Atlanta, she said I was her “Twisted Sister,” and there it was. I told her I was her “Twisted Sister with Flavor” because of the extracts, and we both decided to “twist” up the name to fit truly, and “Twisted Sista with Flava” was born.
My next challenge was space for me to work and store my products. I had to completely redo my apartment to accommodate the hundreds of bottles of extracts, alcohol, bottles of the final products, etc. (the list goes on). I also needed a creative logo that fit my personality. Thank goodness I have a brilliant niece that was able to take my vision and create what I needed.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Twisted Sista with Flava, LLC?
Twisted Sista with Flava is more than a concept or brand; it is a journey. A journey into the world of extracts and spices that stimulates the olfactory and tantalizes the taste buds—a journey from a need to make something better for myself and ultimately share with others. As a Medical Laboratory Scientist for over 30 years, this journey was just what my creative brain needed. What we do that other brands don’t do is we offer “Twisted” versions of most of our extracts. Our most popular line is the “Premium” vanilla which provides an extra depth of flavor with the vanilla. It’s slightly more expensive than the “Pure” vanilla but well worth it. I constantly sell out of my premium products, so it’s sometimes hard to keep up with demand.
What characteristic of yours would you give the most credit if you had to?
Hard work and dedication are vital for the success of my business. I’ve worked extremely hard over the past 2 years to bring products to market that my customers will love and continue to purchase. If I’m unhappy with the final product, it will not make it to a customer. I’ve dedicated countless hours to starting and running my business, and it’s slowly paying off. Special orders, custom orders, and event orders have been coming my way, and it’s truly been a blessing.
Pricing:
- Pure Vanilla start at $9.00
- Premium Vanilla start at $13.00
- Spices start at $7.00
- Fruits start at &7.00
- Sample Packs start at $10.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https:// twisted-sista.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSWFlava
Image Credits
Smile Now Photography
