Roxanne Vinciguerra says she never thought she’d start her own artisanal biscotti business.
“This started as a hobby that turned into a job, but I couldn’t be more thrilled because I absolutely love what I do,” she says.
After launching Roxanne’s Biscotti five years ago, Morgan Hill-based Vinciguerra couldn’t be happier to have proved herself wrong.
“I literally jump out of bed every morning,” she says. “I can’t wait to get in here to create and make stuff. I dream of things to put into a biscotti and make into a biscotti.”
Her company is only half a decade old but the story of Roxanne’s Biscotti really began thirty years ago on a whim when Vinciguerra, an avid chef and baker, took upon the challenge to create a biscotti that her grandmother could properly enjoy on its own.
“My grandmother loved biscotti but most of the biscotti out there was really hard and she wasn’t a dunker, so she was kind of hesitant to bite into it,” Vinciguerra says. “I really set out to make a biscotti that she would be able to eat without dunking.”
From then on, every holiday Vinciguerra would make her biscotti for friends and family. Years down the road, she was urged by those same friends and family to go into the biscotti business.
Observing that there wasn’t much of a biscotti presence at their local Morgan Hill farmers market, Vinciguerra teamed up with her husband Jerry to showcase Roxanne’s Biscotti in the Morgan Hill community.
“Once we did [get in], we had a big following,” she says. “Morgan Hill is a very loyal community. They support local businesses.”
Roxanne’s Biscotti isn’t your average biscotti. It’s known for its flaky and crunchy texture that’s sneakily addicting. The four standard flavors offered all year-round include almond, butterscotch, chocolate chip and anise—butterscotch being a customer favorite.
“It’s like the world’s been waiting for a good biscotti,” Vinciguerra says.
Although her biscotti has been well-received by the community and is now a popular fixture at the four farmers markets it’s currently available, Vinciguerra believes she couldn’t have picked a more difficult product to sell.
“Most people think they don’t like biscotti because there’s so much biscotti that’s really too hard or just not flavorful and sort of bland,” she says. “Most of the time, if somebody tries my biscotti, they love it. It makes me very proud to make people realize that they like something they thought they didn’t.”
Farmers markets are where Vinciguerra’s finds her inspiration sparked and her curiosity peaked.
“I see blueberries come in or apples, and I want to make something with that or do something with this,” Vinciguerra says. “It’s fun! Being at the farmer’s markets, it’s given me the chance to try things that I’ve never tried.”
In the beginning of Roxanne’s Biscotti, Vinciguerra’s testing grounds for big batch biscotti was a small, shared kitchen space. The popularity of her biscotti prompted Vinciguerra and her team to expand into a larger cooking space consisting of 2,400 square feet.
“We got some things to help us along with our business,” she says. “We invested in a slicer and we have a much bigger mixer than we had. We’ve just sort of scaled up.”
For Vinciguerra, expanding her business does not mean incorporating mass production into her baking process.
“I always want to remain a hands-on artisanal product,” she says. “I don’t ever want to be dumping everything into a conveyer belt. I want to experience the process and I want to remain sort of old-fashioned with everything.”
Every batch of biscotti made my Roxanne’s Biscotti is hand-crafted from start to finish, excluding the slicing portion of the process—a necessary addition in response to a large increase in demand.
“What literally used to take me three and a half hours now takes us a half hour or forty-five minutes to slice,” Vinciguerra says. “That’s as automated as we’ll get.” Looking toward the future, Vinciguerra is aiming to make Roxanne’s Biscotti a zero-waste company by utilizing every “waste” product throughout the process of production. She also has a savory flavour biscotti in the works. Potential future flavors include Asiago cheese, black pepper, rosemary, polenta, olive, and fig.
“Having it as a business, I see so much potential in different things,” Vinciguerra says. “I see this as an ever-changing thing all based on the biscotti. As a baker and a cook, I love that kind of challenge.”
Looking back on her company’s journey consisting of well-earned success and creative fulfilment, Vinciguerra has learned the power of following her passion and is a big proponent for others to do the same.
“I feel like it’s easier for someone to find all the reasons why not to but really, you just need to set that aside and find that one reason why you should—and follow it,” Vinciguerra says. “I can’t imagine how anyone could be disappointed.”
You can find Roxanne’s Biscotti at roxannesbiscotti.com and select farmers markets throughout the summer, including Los Altos, Morgan Hill, Mountain View and Facebook’s main campus in Menlo Park.
Most of the time, if somebody tries my biscotti, they love it. It makes me very proud to make people realize that they like something they thought they didn’t.
