What came first: selling or giving a fudge?
In early July 2020, I launched a fundraiser to my friends and family, deciding that I was going to do my part in raising awareness and funds for Black-led initiatives in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the police. I asked myself how I could go about raising money, loosely landed on my culinary skillset, and decided that my recently acquired pandemic dog, Mudge, had a name that rhymed with “fudge” so I might as well make some fudge. Within six months, I decided to leave my job and pursue Mudge Fudge full-time as a social enterprise.
Mudge Fudge was a crash course in food production, supply chain management, packaging, branding, selling, and my favorite parts of it: community partnerships, storytelling, and community building. Having my own company meant that I could lean into my values then share them with others, making the final product not just delicious, but impactful too. From flavors that gave back to non-profits, supply drives, and partnering with other small, local businesses…Mudge Fudge was a way for me to do the things I really cared about and involve the community in it too.
In 2023, I made the difficult decision to start winding down Mudge Fudge. I’d grown to a point where if I grew any more, I’d need to invest in specialized equipment and a paid kitchen space, as well as hire out assistance. I had neither the money nor the desire anymore to run or grow a fudge company. Before being a vendor myself, I didn’t quite understand the magnitude of time and effort it takes to sell food at farmers markets or vendor markets regularly. Between cooking the fudge, folding the boxes that the fudge went into, packaging the fudge, labeling the fudge, packing the car for each market, setting up at each market, having to be a salesperson constantly and not having any safety net for sick-days, then having to give away or toss unsold product that was past its prime…turns out it’s a lot of work!! Not to mention that most markets are on weekends, meaning that you probably won’t get to hang out with your friends as much as you’d like either.
My way out of Mudge Fudge was sharing my recipes with the world. With a fully-funded Kickstarter, I self-published a cookbook of all my recipes and gave others the opportunity to share Mudge Fudge with their communities and families. Now Mudge Fudge is a great memory and experience that better equipped me for all future endeavors…though I do say yes to the occasional market if I’ve received a special request!
Finding my audience
Fast forward to June 2026, when the paid role I had building partnerships and putting on community events was terminated. I loved my job, loved the connections I was making, and loved the community I had been building. While sharing the news with my closest friends, multiple wondered out loud what was stopping me from continuing the work on my own. Though the answer, “a paycheck,” is a pretty real reason, they were right to point out that I was truly doing the work that engages me, creating a real community, and that the momentum was there. Timing for losing my job really wasn’t ideal, with Pacific Northwest Climate Week approaching, numerous partnerships I’d been working on for months coming to fruition, and perhaps the biggest: my upcoming wedding. So, instead of losing any momentum on the months of work I’d put in, it was time for me to launch Give A Fudge Consulting & Events.
The name came to me while I let off some steam pulling weeds in my garden. I had asked myself who my audience in this next chapter of my career was…and my brain’s matter-of-fact answer was, “People who give a f*uck.” Make that a little more cheeky and tie it into my past life as a fudgemaker, and you get “people who give a fudge.”
An extension of myself
My favorite roles have been jobs that are so clearly aligned to who I am as a person, that they feel easy. Sometimes it has to do with the subject matter, sometimes it’s the people I’ve worked with, sometimes it’s been the mission, but there has to be a clear moral perspective that links up with how I live my life. I have lost sleep over wishing I could just grin and bear it for a paycheck before, but, alas, I cannot.
Give A Fudge Consulting & Events is a way for me to house my numerous projects under one roof. This isn’t just a job for me, it’s a way of being. I have hosted countless events where only I have known the amount of intention behind every last detail. I’ve gone the extra mile because it’s important to me that something is acquired second-hand even if ordering online for next-day delivery would be easier. Frankly, I give a fudge and I don’t know how not to.
Giving a fudge, to me, naturally evolves with any new piece of information I learn and internalize. As Maya Angelou once said, “Do the best you can until you learn better. Then, when you know better, do better.” With this newsletter/blog/business/etc., I’m looking to foster a community that reflects that learning is a journey. I want this Substack to be a place where folks can find out something new, ask questions, have space to give it a try, and then confidently move forward with more intention. There’s a quote I came across in high school by a (seemingly progressive?) English clergyman who lived in the 19th century named Sydney Smith that says, “It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little. Do what you can.” My overarching theme will always be about living a mindful life with sustainability and social impact values at the forefront, but I don’t expect all my readers/clients/people who interact to be vegans or only own a bike. This is a space where people care about each other and the planet, where getting a job done might not mean doing it the fastest or cheapest way…but often you might find that the difference is negligible, as I have.
What you should expect
For the newsletter, I’m going to try and post weekly, though historically I’m pretty bad at keeping up with this sort of regular posting. Expect recaps of events I’ve put on or participated in, quick tips for more sustainable living, maybe a recipe or DIY here or there, and potentially a section that spotlights aligned events and offerings people who “give a fudge” might be interested in. For the business, I’m going to be chugging along, putting together events as I feel called to. The corner of consulting and events that I’ll be exploring for the foreseeable future focuses on coalition and community building, strategic partnerships, and impactful experiences. I can help put together a shopping list for a sustainable event, link you into an org or small business for a partnership, help you develop intentional opportunities for connection, or manage your whole event/partnership/campaign/etc. I also plan to offer ways to engage and impact folks during their everyday life. I’m happy to chat how to make your home more sustainable or ways to eat less meat, or even help you plan a mindful vacation. I’ll share things as I do them too, so there will always be resources available if you’re interested in digging in on your own.
Thanks for being here and reading this far. I’m really excited about what’s to come, and I hope to have you along for the ride :) Subscribe below to keep up with my work with Give A Fudge and beyond!
Sam, you inspire me everyday to be more mindful of so many aspects of my daily life. Looking forward to your future communications.
Sam I’m so proud of you and enjoyed reading this update. Glad you are doing well and excited to join along!