They Told Me Not to Tell You This
Posted by Alayne Gardner-Carimi on
My Tale of Woe.
To tell the story completely, we must start at the beginning. My father and I brought vomFASS to the U.S. back in 2007. We were the Master Franchisee for the U.S., meaning we were the franchisor in the U.S. During the process of opening locally owned stores throughout the country, we established a relationship with HEB, the largest grocer in Texas. They installed some mini vomFASS installations in their high-end stores. Eventually, our model of tasting and refilling proved to be too much work for a grocer, and the installations slowly faded away.
In 2016 my father and I sold vomFASS USA to our German parent. Dad retired, and I created the well-received DelecTable. The world moved on.
Then, last August, 3 days after Mom passed, I received an email from vomFASS Corporate asking me, due to my previous relationship, to follow up on a lead from HEB for a truckload of Truffle Extra Virgin Olive Oil. While I was delayed in responding, I did. I worked with our Tuscan Olive Oil producer to come up with a very competitive price for our superior White Truffle EVOO. I sent the proposal to HEB. They replied with excitement to our proposal. I said I’d need a contract, and they agreed. We signed a contract, and I had to front the money for the goods per our terms with the Italian producer. HEB required 30-day terms.
This was a very large order for us and our artisan producer. Once we worked through everything and had it ready to ship, I emailed HEB to let them know an updated ETA. The email bounced…
I thought it must be a technology glitch. I waited a few days. Emailed again. It bounced again. I then went searching and found my way to the HEB security notifications page. There, I found a document notifying of a known ‘fraudster’ imitating HEB buyers and contacting HEB suppliers to place fraudulent orders with them. Their goal was to end up snatching the goods and reselling the goods themselves. I was immobilized. Physically and mentally.
I considered myself savvy in identifying fraud. I don’t click on malicious links. I’ve saved my wife from fraudulent calls before. I couldn’t believe I had extended us financially so far out, on a scam. We now own a truckload of White Truffle Extra Virgin Olive Oil…and no buyer.
We opened in December of 2007. Months before the Great Recession hit. We survived COVID. I’m confident we’ll survive this as well, but this, this is tough.
We don’t ask for handouts. We sincerely appreciate your patronage and support, and we endeavor tirelessly to reward that support with great service and product. This time it is no different.
Did we mention we got a great deal on the Truffle EVOO? A 750ml of our Truffle EVOO normally sells in our stores for $75. So, you can really benefit from the high-volume pricing.
We are offering our White Truffle EVOO for $19.99 ea. when you buy two or more bottles! And it’s still a steal at $24.99 for one bottle. This is below the price you’ll find for just about any Truffle EVOO on the market, and it comes from us, so you know it’s good.
Since it was going to a grocer instead of a vomFASS store, it was labeled under our Adrian Artisan brand, but it comes from our same Tuscan olive oil producer.
What an opportune time to experiment with all the wonderful ways to use this Truffle EVOO. I myself wasn’t sure I liked it when I first took our Truffle oil home years ago. Now my wife loves it when I make ‘Aphrodisiac Popcorn’, which is popcorn drizzled with our Truffle EVOO and sprinkled with grated parmesan. Truffle mac is all the rage. Truffle EVOO on your steak or eggs is what you’ve been missing. We’ll be sharing awesome recipes over the next few months to help you enjoy your bottle to the fullest.
We are not asking for a handout. Instead, we are offering an outstanding deal on a top-quality product and asking for your help by taking advantage of the deal. If Truffle EVOO isn’t your thing, stop on by and pick up what is. You can also join us for dinner. We are launching our exciting new 11-course dining experience at DelecTable. Any and all support is hugely appreciated.
Thank you, Wisconsin
Justin
Owner, vomFASS-Madison & DelecTable
Owner, vomFASS-Madison & DelecTable