Making the world a better place through snacks seems like the best possible business plan in existence, honestly. It’s what Sogo Snacks owners / husband-and-wife team Dan Bellrichard and Liza Hicken have set out to do since they launched their meat stick business in Decorah in 2016.

Sogo Snacks makes meat sticks filled with good things – premium natural pork, free range turkey, and 100% grass-fed beef – and simple, clean ingredients you can pronounce. While most meat snack companies are run by large corporations, Dan and Liza got the memo on “family-owned business.” The two manage everything from production to fulfillment to customer service (no kidding, a call to Sogo gets Dan on the phone), and their three kids, Lulu, Poppy, and Solveig help out writing family notes or creating origami creatures for orders heading into the world.

Dan and Liza met at Luther College in the early 2000s, falling in love with each other and the Decorah community. The dream of returning to this corner of the Midwest was planted then, but there was some world to experience first. 

Dan joined the Peace Corps in 2002, and spent two years in Mali, West Africa, as a Small Enterprise Development Volunteer. Liza joined AmeriCorps, maintaining trails for the Montana Conservation Corps, then spent several months visiting Dan in Mali. After returning to the United States, they both joined the AmeriCorps (second time for Liza) and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to volunteer with nonprofits working with underserved populations through AmeriCorps: Liza teaching GED classes and Dan working in microfinance.

They finally made it back to Decorah in 2007, but it would be almost a decade before they created Sogo Snacks, “convenient, high protein snacks for busy lives.” 

The name and logo were inspired by Dan’s time in Mali: Sogo means “meat” in the Bambara language. And the Boabab tree featured on the logo often provided the only shade in Mali’s blazing sun. Its leaves were used to make a dipping sauce for a meal called Tô (which Dan would eat every other day for dinner.) But perhaps the biggest inspiration was creating a mission-driven business with lasting values.

“We strive to be a humble and courageous company that follows the Golden Rule in all aspects of operations. And use our support and success to benefit society, both at home and abroad,” they write on their website, sogosnacks.com. “Join us in our motto and Snack Well, Do Good.”

Folks can find Sogo Snacks in the Driftless at a handful of locations across the region (see sidebar below) or online at sogosnacks.com.

The Basics:
Name: Liza Hicken and Dan Bellrichard
Age: 45 and 46
Business: Sogo Snacks
Year Business Established: 2016
Business address: Decorah
Website: www.SogoSnacks.com

Dan took time out of his busy schedule for our Sum of Your Business interview. We loved his insightful, inspiring answers!

Tell us about the “leap” moment. When/how did you decide to jump in and become your own boss?

I had been interested in starting a business since my time as a small business development volunteer in the Peace Corps and a microfinance volunteer with the Americorps. Timing, life, and a somewhat low tolerance for risk delayed this from happening for 10 or so years, until all the dots connected.

I got into the beef stick world working for a local grass-fed beef producer, however, they decided to sell the company to a large corporation. With two small children and one on the way, our options were to leave Decorah to work for this new company, find a new job more aligned with my values, or start our own brand of beef sticks based on what I already knew. After the Peace Corps, corporate America and I didn’t see eye to eye and we had zero desire to leave Decorah. Since Liza had a job that provided health insurance, we figured if we were ever going to do it, now was the time. In addition, as I got things started, I could also be a stay at home dad for our soon-to-be third daughter. 

So, I got to work developing recipes, finding suppliers, going through the USDA labeling process, creating a website, and everything else that comes with a business. When it was time for our very first production in the fall of 2016, we took everything we had in savings and made our first batches of three flavors. Solveig was born shortly after and would be in a carrier on my chest or back while I fulfilled the orders that started coming in.

 What’s the best thing about being your own boss?

I think it’s the flexibility and working for more than an hourly wage. While I work more than I did in my 9 – 5 jobs, and at different times, there’s something about knowing all the effort is going towards a business you created.

How about the worst?

Two things come to mind. The first is always having to be the one to deal with the bad and not so fun stuff. The second is trying to go on a family vacation. Getting away is a challenge when it’s just Liza and I. Luckily we know someone that has been extremely helpful the last few years.

Was there ever a hurdle where you just thought, “I can’t do this?” How did you overcome it?

Oh, definitely and many times over. The beef stick market is very competitive and over-saturated. It’s challenging being the small guy in a world that caters to big players. We overcame challenges in a variety of ways: smarts, being nimble, desperation, and a lot of LUCK. Sales started declining in 2019 and got worse once the pandemic hit. Our products are used when people are on the go, not sitting at home. Unexpectedly, and with zero notice, the smokehouse we arranged to make our products informed me that they wouldn’t anymore and the three future purchase orders to get us through the busy holiday season wouldn’t be made. Our orders weren’t big enough since they themselves had grown significantly in the past several years.

Our one employee at the time wisely said, “Dan, I think it’s best I take a different job” so I became a one-man show again. About six months later I was scanning the help-wanted section frequently and preparing to find a job myself when a podcaster happened to order and love our products. In my experience, “influencers” charge you to promote products to their “followers” but they typically don’t translate to sales. 

This podcaster didn’t ask for a dime, just a coupon code to give his listeners, and he saved Sogo Snacks. We gained enough new customers to keep us going and kept building from there.

Any mentors/role models you look to/have looked to?

I’ve always looked up to my hardworking grandparents doing what it took to raise their families. Both were small business owners, one in bulk fuel delivery and the other a crop farmer. Both of our parents rock as well!

 How do you manage your life/work balance?

Life/work balance has always been important to me since my experience in the Peace Corps. I’ve kept my tastes simple as a way to make this easier to achieve and I think I’m pretty good at it. Being an ecommerce business we have a little more flexibility. For example, I try to do computer work when watching sports so it frees up time when I want to do family or personal activities. 

What are some of the pros and cons of working with your spouse (and your entire family)?

Pros: We get to spend a lot of time together. We like our coworkers. We have a very good understanding of how each other operates and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Official meetings are almost non-existent. You can be your true self almost all of the time. Everyone works as hard and efficiently as possible because we don’t want to work any longer than necessary. We don’t feel the need to make small talk so we listen to a lot of audiobooks when doing mundane tasks.

Cons: We sometimes spend too much time together. It’s challenging to both miss work at the same time. Home life and work life can spill into each other more easily. 

What keeps you inspired? 

What inspires me is trying to have a small business that my girls can work for or take over one day if they want. As a young person, I often felt limited in the ability to pursue crazy thoughts, ideas, or side hustles because work opportunities were more rigid. While it’s changed a lot in the last five years, I think working in the family business would allow them to work hard to earn a living, yet have the flexibility and support to chase a dream. In all probability, they won’t want anything to do with it:) 

How has your time spent in Mali affected how you run your business? 

My time in Mali affected my entire life. As it becomes more distant in my timeline, the effects are more internal in how I think and make choices..those little quirks that define me as an individual. Life in Mali was very community oriented because there wasn’t wealth. I experienced people taking me in and caring for me when I was the “wealthy” stranger that would leave after a short period, back to the land of plenty, while they continued to try to survive day by day.

It has definitely affected how we connect and treat customers. We see the relationship as more than a transaction. It’s about two strangers, with both similar and different values, supporting each other. We try to treat customers, suppliers, and others like they are our neighbors. We are frugal and try to utilize material wisely. We try to find a second life for boxes we generate and give second life to materials we get from other local businesses. Every penny spent is purposeful because waste should not be tolerated in a world with poverty.

Since you don’t have a storefront, what are some of your favorite ways to connect with customers?

Connecting to customers is very challenging especially when email marketing and social media aren’t your jam! While we do a little of this, it’s not annoyingly frequent and very low budget and authentic. Not actors, influencers, or professional copy, just our family.

We take a more old school approach and customers really like the little things we do. My personal cell and email is listed as the contact for Sogo Snacks. This means I communicate directly regarding any question, complaint, compliment, or request that may come in. I like to get to know people so this often leads to great conversations from folks all over the U.S. When Liza fulfills orders, she writes a little thank you on every packing slip. Solveig, our 8 year old, loves origami and makes baby dragons and other creations to include in orders. Finally, we borrowed a great idea from a local producer of eggs that we’d purchase at the Oneota Co-op in Decorah. Each family member takes turns writing a note about anything going on in our lives. It’s a handwritten, black and white, one-third page, photocopied and hand cut note that customers LOVE getting. They can be funny, include drawings, share milestones, and talk about what is good and bad in our lives, but they are always US. I’ve been told by customers that they’re not sure what they look forward to the most when ordering, our products or the most recent note they’ll be receiving. 

These notes have even led to customers sending our girls many complimentary emails, hand crocheted stuffies, a blanket with a photo of the customer’s dog printed on it, gift cards for good  grades, many postcards from all over the world, and handwritten letters encouraging them in different aspects of life. How lucky are we!

FIND SOGO SNACKS IN THE DRIFTLESS

Decorah: Oneota Food Co-op, The Landing Market, Sugar Bowl, Luna Valley Farm Store (during pizza hours)

Winona: Hy-Vee

Dubuque: Hy-Vee #2

Platteville: Driftless Market-Platteville

Or order online at sogosnacks.com. Use the coupon code SAVE15 coupon code for a 15 percent discount!