One small trip and a few social media posts forever changed the lives of the mother-daughter duo behind Crafted Nibbles, Baton Rouge’s first build-your-own cheese box business.

Valencia, mother, and Michelle, daughter, Anderson established a charcuterie business in 2021. The two Baton Rouge natives were inspired after visiting friends in South Carolina for Christmas back in 2020. When the host had a beautiful charcuterie board on display, they instantly fell in love with the craft.

The duo knew they had to find a way to bring the unique treat back home to Baton Rouge. Their charcuterie business simply began by creating sample boxes and taking them to Valencia’s executive team at her job, where they received a lot of positive feedback. From there, the now owners, launched the brand Crafted Nibbles and sold their products through Facebook.

Ever since, Valencia and Michelle’s business has skyrocketed in popularity with several viral videos on TikTok and Instagram, leading them to opening a storefront located at 4631 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge. Blown away by the massive support, the owners took to Instagram to show their gratitude and re-introduce themselves to new followers.

“Crafted Nibbles is about more than just cheese,” the Anderson’s wrote to Instagram. “It’s a lifestyle brand rooted in community. We’ve built this business through deep connections with our customers, local businesses, and fellow women- and minority-owned brands.”

From operating through a Facebook account to its very own storefront, Crafted Nibbles wants to create space for other small businesses to showcase their own products in-store. The pair had a big investment in social media for their brand, and they feel that it has been very impactful in contribution to the success of Crafted Nibbles.

“In the past two weeks, a lot of our customers have been coming from places like Opelousas, Morgan city and Mandeville,” Michelle Anderson said. “They’re like ‘We saw you on TikTok’, and they are driving in, or they’re in the city for something, and they’re making this the place to stop on their trip.”

Social media has allowed the team to grow a following of dedicated customers and they want to spread the love right back. To show support to their loyal customers, the Anderson’s hope to build a strong sense of community and share it with the city.

“When they come in, they know all about it before we do, because they’ve studied, and they come in regularly, and they love coming in and we enjoy seeing them,” Valencia said.

The duo is proud to be a women-owned business that was built from the ground up, and they are empowered to set an example for the community: don’t give up and inspire those who want to start a business.

“One of our sayings is ‘Crafted with love, rooted in Louisiana,’” Michelle shared. “We are both locals, so being able to navigate the entrepreneurship world as women and women of color, I think is a huge example to others that may want to step out on faith or have a venture – that it’s possible.”

Valencia and Michelle’s dream for their charcuterie business is to continue growing, so they have the opportunity to expand the brand across other cities and states. This mother-daughter duo aims to be the go-to name of charcuterie in Baton Rouge, with their fresh and locally sourced cheeses and other exclusive ingredients that can’t be found anywhere else.

“When the community asks where can they get a good charcuterie board or find different cheeses, we want them to say Crafted Nibbles,” Michelle said. “Go to Crafted Nibbles. It needs to be in their vocabulary.”

If you’re ever in the mood for freshly crafted charcuterie, a cozy atmosphere and excellent customer service, check out Crafted Nibbles. The store is open Tuesday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.