Meet The Team: Carrie
We’re celebrating Carrie’s 10-year anniversary here at Videri, and we’d love for everyone to get to know her more. She’s full of fun, has great music taste, dreams up brilliantly delicious ideas, and provides us with lots of laughs.
Name: Carrie Blackburn
Hometown: Fairfield, CT
At Videri Since: 2013
Position: Head Confectioner
Hey, Carrie! Why work at a chocolate factory?
Bean-to-bar chocolate is magical. It starts as this tiny flower, about the size of a pillbug, and through a truly insane amount of processing, turns into the rich, smooth, flavor adventure I get to enjoy several times a day. Once I discovered that transformation, I just wanted to learn more. And what I’ve learned is that every step of that insane processing can have a positive impact on the world. From the environmental benefits of small diverse farms, to the economic impact for farmers, to the mood-enhancing effects of the chocolate itself, bean-to-bar chocolate is a treat you can feel great about!
What’s one thing you love most about working at Videri and being a part of the confections team here?
I get to come to work every day and make something that brings people joy. I honestly cannot think of a better job than that! Inside of that, I really enjoy creating new flavors. We change our seasonal bonbon flavors about every other month, but since we focus on local ingredients, I am always thinking about what’s in season and how it could fit with our chocolate. Our current seasonals have a double feature from our great state – both the muscadine balsamic and figgy fennel caramels are made with NC fruit. And if you’re local, our featured soft-serve topping is a spicy caramel made with Carolina Reapers – the hottest peppers in the world!
What’s your favorite thing about leading part of the team here at Videri?
I love being able to solve problems. And I love working with people that are genuinely interested in addressing issues and finding solutions. Anyone who has worked in a small business knows that the kinds of problems you face are diverse and unpredictable – it might be a power outage in the middle of summer when you sell a meltable product, or something more exciting, like a giant and unexpected order that you don’t have fully in stock, or maybe it’s a global pandemic… whatever the challenge, I am grateful to work with and for such an extraordinary group of people to make extraordinary chocolate-based treats.
What’s something you wish everyone knew about working at a chocolate factory?
When you come home from work, your clothes smell like chocolate. It’s kind of funny and definitely weird to want to eat a sweatshirt, but ya know, it’s just part of the job.
What’s your current favorite restaurant around town, and what do you love to order?
It’s a 3-way tie! I love the following three dishes in Raleigh and would maybe die from happiness if I could eat them every day. They are: idli-sambhar from Cheeni, cold vegan sandwich from Union Special, and potato knish empanada from Che Empanadas.
Anything unrelated you want us to know about you?
My husband and I are obsessed with our dog (one of us might be slightly /more/ obsessed than the other)
I ride my bike to work 98% of the time and it brings me so much joy. I even have a full coverage rain suit so I can bike in all the weather
I believe the secret to a happy and successful life is flexibility – in mind, spirit and body, so I love doing yoga and trying new things.
And, lastly, what’s your favorite soft serve combination?
Vanilla soft-serve with candied cocoa nibs. I am a little obsessed with our candied cocoa nibs for many reasons. 1. They’re my favorite variety of nib – Ecuador from the Esmeraldas region which has a really lovely floral aroma. 2. They’re a totally unique offering that you can really only get in the factory. 3. They’re the perfect combination of sweet, salty and crunchy making them an ideal compliment for soft-serve (or anything else in your life really 🙂) .
Thank you so much for chatting with us, Carrie. We’re so grateful to have you on our team. Cheers to more years of making chocolate magic!
