Life & Work with Joana And David Whittingham of Holly Springs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joana And David Whittingham.

Hi Joana and David, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
David and I met playing an online game called Neverwinter Nights. My son, who was in the Army, didn’t keep in contact, so it was a way to check in with him. He didn’t want to teach me how to play, so he foisted me off on David. In 2008 David moved from Australia and we married soon after.

One of the first things David discovered about the US was that he didn’t like the chocolate. There are common brands here that evoke “baby spit up” flavors. I started introducing him to real chocolate, and our passion for it bloomed. Living in Napa we had a rich culinary environment to explore craft chocolate and confections. We attended classes at the Culinary Institute of America and participated in one-on-one mentorship with local legends in the field – even spending a week in Vegas with Chef Chris Hamner, Top Chef Desserts winner. We started selling in local markets, chocolate shows, and charity events in the area. I mean chocolate and wine? Naturally!

We moved to NC in 2017 with the dream of opening our own brick and mortar. We wanted to share our chocolate passion with others and really become part of the community we were in. Holly Springs was a perfect fit. We were lucky enough to get into the inaugural cohort of the Launch Holly Springs program for small businesses. We fine tuned our business plans and met some of the greatest people. In 2018 we opened Fera’wyn’s Chocolate Cafe.

Initially we planned on chocolate and coffees with maybe a baked good or two because I know the difficulty in finding good gluten free baked treats. Within a year our baked goods case was bigger and more robust than we ever anticipated and we were soon doing custom cakes and weddings. One of the most rewarding cakes has been the wedding cake for the lovely couple who had their first date in our store! So many amazing celebrations and even hardships. The expression on someone’s face when they discover the whole case of baked goods is safe for them is priceless – we’ve been witness to many “happy dances” over the years. This joy and gratitude is what kept us plugging away even through Covid which lasted over half of our first five years.

We’ve been fortunate to have found a great mix of staff to help with everything from baking, customer service, customer engagement (our newest Game Night program we’ve been trying to get traction on), and all of great supporting vendors and wonderful neighbors.

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?
Covid was a big hurdle. Not only were people staying in, but celebrations and cakes were out.

Summer is always tough, we laugh (cry) saying the Js are cruel (June, July, and even January for different reasons).

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Our chocolates are award winning. We have several awards from Good Food Foundation which is a nationwide contest for all aspects of artisan cuisine. We are proud be join the long list of NC winners. Our limoncello truffle has one on several occasions and the bourbon and macchiato are favorites too!

One of the greatest joys of truffle making is creating the look – whether it’s hand painted or graphic design of transfer sheets, it allows my creativity to soar.

Our cakes have quickly become a rival to the chocolates with our creative designs and fondant work that is primarily done by my son. We’ve done 6 foot tall ratatouille cakes, near-life sized Wally and Eeve cakes to name a few – my favorite was a simple hobit door cake.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Like I mentioned, we were lucky to be involved with the Holly Sorings Launch program. This not only provided mentorship and support from individuals and professionals, it linked us to Wake Tech and their team.

As far as networking, in launch we met Christine, a cohort one attendee and life insurance agent, who was creating a new group called Holly Springs Small Business Network. This group is awesome and free to join. It gives small businesses an opportunity to meet their fellows, network, and collaborate. We’ve made many great connections through this group.

David has taken things further by involving himself with the local chamber. He joined as an Ambassador a few years ago and quickly moved up through the organization and is the sitting chair of the executive board.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.ferawyns.com
• Instagram: @ferawyns
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EoXEqJoC6/?mibextid=wwXIfr