How Dwarf Stars Stickers Contribute to a Homegrown Business

Nothing beats with two individuals who are working hand in hand to bring something pretty unique and handmade to the market. Meet Gerrit Janssen & Kathryn Kozody, the people behind the success of Dwarf Stars. Let us all discovered what is all about Dwarf Stars, their products offered to the market and how StickerCanada contributes to these successful entrepreneurs.

Tell us about your company. Why is it called Dwarf Stars?

Gerrit comes from a high-end culinary background where he was used to making extraordinary food that looked the part. When he created our first product, The Originals, they were dry roasted chickpeas covered in pumpkin seed butter and chocolate and looked like little space rocks. Instead of allowing him to coat them with a glossy wax, I insisted that we stay true to our personalities (a little quirky and weird), and keep their unique look. I began to research astrological terms (as Space Balls seemed a little too risque) and stumbled upon Dwarf Stars.

These are stars that don't look exactly like the other stars, or shine as bright, but still in their own right is classified as stars. The really cool thing is that Dwarf Stars can actually be incredibly powerful when pairs of them coalesce (or come together) - they can even create a supernova or large stellar explosion!

We love love loved this metaphor that reached beyond our friendship, beautifully capturing the brand messaging, heart and soul behind our new endeavour. We believe this message is more important today than ever before - no matter what the outside looks like, what truly matters are on the inside. Dwarf Stars is a story of community, chocolate, passion, perseverance, and triumph of the underdog (or should I say under star).

What are the products or services you've offered?

Dwarf Stars offers allergy-friendly, nutritious and delicious chocolates – namely Pumpkin Seed Butter Cups (a healthier spin on a peanut butter cup). All of our products are peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free and vegan (we also have a sugar-free option). We have dark, white, sugar-free and "milk" chocolate PSB cups.

Who are the people behind these nutritious and delicious treats?

Gerrit is one of the co-founders - a red seal chef with twelve years’ experience in the culinary industry studying under talented mentors like Duncan Ly (Foreign Concept) and Jinhee Lee (Raw Bar and MasterChef Canada). Kathryn has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree with a major in Marketing from Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.

How this passion helps you innovate your marketing approach?

Her long-time passion for fitness, nutrition and healthy living coupled with Gerrit’s culinary innovations allowed them to recognize a gap in the market for allergy-friendly, yet delicious treats. They thought it was time there were delicious, yet nutritious treats on the market that don’t make you feel like crap after eating them, and are available to everyone, regardless of food intolerance or allergies.

What do you think is your treats have contributed to your valued customers?

The smile on a parent’s or child’s face when they get to enjoy Dwarf Stars treats after being told repeatedly all the things they CAN’T eat is one of the greatest gifts they receive in doing what they do.

How StickerCanada help your business?

Sticker Canada has helped us offer a product with economical packaging that is extremely important and helpful for a small, growing business.

What made our product or service stand out from other options?

Pricing was a big factor, along with being a fellow Canadian company. When we saw how fast the turnaround time was and consistency in quality, we were sold.

How do you use the products you've purchased in your business?

We use Sticker Canada's Art Paper Stickers as labels for all of our packaging. It is super important to have consistent, high-quality stickers that we can order and receive in a timely matter. We currently service 65 retailers in a few provinces in Canada. We are only 16 months into our business and other packaging alternatives can be quite costly that require very high minimum orders.

What was it like before you had our product or service?

We were facing enormous prices due to large MOQs for packaging that we could just not afford at the time. For a small, growing business, there are SO many startup costs. We bootstrapped the entire business ourselves with no help from loans or investors and had other costs that took priority. StickerCanada actually made it possible for us to offer beautiful packaging that conveys who we are as a brand to our customers at a price we can sustain our business. They helped us look professional enough to be able to approach retailers and sell our products in stores.

Would you recommend this product to your friends? If so, why?

Absolutely. We have been using Sticker Canada for over a year now and I think that speaks for itself.