Ambitious Porridge Venture Finds Perfect Home in Park Slope

Starting a small business anywhere is a challenge, and in such a unique area like Park Slope it can be difficult to stand out and connect with locals. Two weeks into their new venture, Emily Hannon and Karyn Seltzer of Brooklyn Porridge Co. are facing the challenges head on and finding an adventurous customer base.

Patch sat down with Hannon and Seltzer for a look inside the world of porridge.

How did the idea for Brooklyn Porridge Co. come about? Karen and I worked together before and we talked about how we both love eating our oatmeal breakfast with savory toppings like avocado and parmesan cheese. 

We expanded the idea of oatmeal to porridge and we started looking into all these ancient grains that are naturally gluten free from all over the world. Adding sweet and savory and artisanal toppings to the mix, we came up with our own combinations and want people to really get involved and design their own bowls. - Hannon.

How has the experience been running such a unique business? People are really getting involved, having fun and trying all of these combinations we would have never really thought of. We’ve gotten such wonderful, positive feedback from everyone. Park Slope is the perfect community to start in because people are naturally curious and adventurous in their culinary tastes. - Hannon

It’s a really great introduction to having a business. It’s been everything we wanted it to be. -Seltzer 

What are some of the challenges you’ve come across as a new business starting up? Getting the word out there and the schedule and the demands of it. Other than lack of sleep it’s been really such a positive, friendly reaction from the community. It’s been just wonderful. - Hannon

As a small business one of the challenges we’re facing is how to cut down. There are so many things we want to offer but it’s a matter of deciding which are the right things and how to roll them out. We’re trying to cut down so there aren’t too many things to choose from. We had to decide where to start. We wanted to have things customers know like oatmeal and grits, but also wanted to introduce them to something they didn’t know and we weren’t sure how people would respond. We were very hopeful the people of Park Slope would be open-minded and they have exceeded our expectations. There’s nothing more satisfying to us than having people embrace what we’re doing. –Seltzer

STORE: Brooklyn Porridge Co.
LOCATION: 741 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
PHONE: (718) 623-6668
WEBSITE: http://brooklynporridgeco.wordpress.com/