Hidden Gems: Meet Youstina (AKA Sooty) Saad of The Cheese Tray

Today we’d like to introduce you to Youstina (AKA Sooty) Saad.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
If you know me, you know that my go-to snack after a long day is always a plate full of assortments of cheeses & fruits with a glass of wine… During the pandemic, I was blessed with time and a good mood so I started to upscale my cheese tray creations.

But where did the idea to start this as a small business come from?

Well, it started when I posted pictures of a cheese tray I created for small friends gathering, and then I got a bunch of DMs from friends and followers asking if I can make them some and they’ll pay for it!

I wondered why not share my passion with others and help make their day, event, or date night with the perfect cheese tray!!

And so with the support and inspiration of my loving husband and amazing friends, @THECHEESETRAY was born!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been and still isn’t a smooth road. I started by facing the challenge of how to actually make a profit and cut down on my spendings. I love having variety on my trays and high-quality cheeses but I had to slow down and put a limit on the number of cheeses, meats, and fruits that I’m offering in each tray based on size and how many people it serves. Second, I’ve learned to be patient and understand that with the start of any business, the ROI takes time and that you give more than you take. The most challenge I’m still facing is building my brand from the ground up and marketing it. Having IG and FB as my only marketing tools requires hours and daily effort to create posts, come up with captions, edit photos, and be active on social media to gain followers and get my brand out there; that’s another full-time job. I’m not a social media guru, all I want is to create cheese trays and make people happy. I can’t wait to make enough profit where I can hire a marketing person to take care of this for me while I do what I love in this business.

As you know, we’re big fans of The Cheese Tray. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I create gourmet charcuterie boxes with high-quality cheeses and meats, fresh fruits, dried fruits, and a variety of nuts and chocolates for gatherings, parties, or date nights. They also make for a thoughtful gift! My boxes are known for their variety of items, fullness, and stuffed bell peppers with cream cheese and everything bagel seasonings. Customers get to choose a spicy or non-spicy box and whether they’d like an extra bread box. I specialized in making baked brie bread bowls during Thanksgiving and Christmas and it was a hit. I offered two flavors; fresh herbs and garlic melt or cranberry and pecan melt.

My boxes can be customized for any occasion with special notes and food decorations.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Getting a customer’s feedback with good and positive comments is the most thing that makes me happy and motivated me to keep going and not quit this small business when things get tiring or overwhelming. I love the feeling of making a difference in someone’s day or event and to get that positive feedback from a happy customer makes me feel like it was all worth it!

Pricing:

• POUR-DEUX __ serves 2 __ $45
• PETITE __ serves 4-6 __ $70
• COZY __ serves 6-8 __ $90
• GATHERING __ serves 8-10 __ $115
• MINI (4×4) Bread box $5 & SM (6×6) bread box $10

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSft33Z9i1XlJ9tUe3eHqOic9R8Y-zxxhZVYAABCBiMRK26frw/viewform?usp=sf_link
• Instagram: @thecheesetray
• Facebook: @thecheesetray

Image Credits
Samy Ayoub