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Spice Witch Joins Optimist Ventures Cohort 2 in Asheville.
Twelve Western North Carolina businesses made Cohort 2 of the Optimist Ventures Disaster Recovery Accelerator. Spice Witch is one of them. Here's what it means, and where the money goes.
Spice Witch has been selected for Cohort 2 of the Optimist Ventures Disaster Recovery Accelerator in Asheville, North Carolina.
Twelve Western North Carolina businesses made the cohort. Each one gets $50,000 (a $25,000 grant plus a $25,000 SPA note investment) and twelve weeks of accelerator programming run by Venture Asheville.
What Optimist Ventures is
Optimist Ventures is a venture philanthropy accelerator out of Venture Asheville that puts grants and investment into Western North Carolina companies. Jeffrey Kaplan is the CEO. This particular cohort is the Disaster Recovery Accelerator, funded through federal disaster recovery dollars tied to Hurricane Helene, and it's aimed at businesses that took a hit in 2024 and are still building back.
We apply for a lot of things. We don't get all of them.
This one landed, and it landed at exactly the right time for where the business is. Growing!
The other eleven businesses in Cohort 2
Good company to be in:
- Asheville Wellness Tours
- Devil's Foot Beverage Company
- Evolve Early Learning
- Full Moon Tea Co.
- Ginger's Revenge Craft Brewery & Tasting Room
- Habibi Village
- Highlands Hydro Clean
- Rockgeist Bikepack USA
- Savage Supply
- Spice Witch
- The Flying Bike
- The Village Potters Clay Center
Breweries, potters, bike people, tea people. That's Asheville.
Where the money actually goes
Inventory and working capital. Which in plain English means: more honey.
Hot honey has been the thing we can't keep on the shelf. Every market, every restock, gone. The grant buys raw honey and glass and labels in quantities that let us stop running the whole operation batch to batch. The Extra Hot 14 oz squeeze bottle is here, the chili crisp keeps going, and the infused honeys (cardamom, pumpkin spice) get real production runs instead of whatever we could squeeze in between markets.
Our chili crisps and chili oil are still made on an avocado oil base, and everything we make stays seed-oil-free. That's not changing because we got funded.
Thank you, Asheville
I moved here from Los Angeles. I built this brand in a commercial kitchen in Arden with a lot of late nights and a lot of help from people in this town who had no particular reason to help me. Getting picked by a program that exists specifically to keep Western North Carolina businesses alive after Helene means something different than a normal grant. This community showed up for its small businesses. I'm glad to be one of them.
Also, holding a big check is fun. I recommend it.
Now back to work. There's honey to make.
FAQ
What is Optimist Ventures?
Optimist Ventures is a venture philanthropy accelerator based in Asheville, North Carolina, operated by Venture Asheville. It combines grant funding and SPA note investment with a twelve-week accelerator program for Western North Carolina companies. Its Disaster Recovery Accelerator supports small businesses affected by Hurricane Helene.
How much funding does an Optimist Ventures cohort company receive?
Each company in the cohort receives $50,000 total: a $25,000 grant and a $25,000 SPA note investment, plus twelve weeks of workshops, mentorship, and founder networking.
Who is in Optimist Ventures Cohort 2?
The twelve businesses are Asheville Wellness Tours, Devil's Foot Beverage Company, Evolve Early Learning, Full Moon Tea Co., Ginger's Revenge, Habibi Village, Highlands Hydro Clean, Rockgeist Bikepack USA, Savage Supply, Spice Witch, The Flying Bike, and The Village Potters Clay Center.
What does Spice Witch make?
Spice Witch makes small-batch Hot Honey, Black Garlic Chili Crisp, Spicy Honey Chili Crisp, and infused honeys including cardamom and pumpkin spice. Our chili crisps and chili oil are seed-oil-free and made on an avocado oil base.
Where is Spice Witch located?
Spice Witch is based in Asheville, North Carolina, and produces everything in its own commercial kitchen in Arden, NC. Products ship nationwide from shopspicewitch.com.
Who founded Spice Witch?
Spice Witch was founded by Sabrina Hill, a commercial food photographer of fifteen years and the daughter of a magician, who started the brand in Asheville, NC.
