Daily Inspiration: Meet Ambray Ochoa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ambray Ochoa.

Hi Ambray, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I remember being about 8 years old at my Grandma’s house, and I was always in the kitchen. I would make anything and everything straight from scratch no recipe and most of the time not even measuring. I have always loved being in the kitchen! My entire life I aspired to be something BIG I always wanted to do more! I previously managed a cooperate chain for 8 years and I love everything business!

I have always wanted to have my own business and do cute and crafty things, I just don’t find myself too crafty, lol. Well, this all happened by the grace of God on Mother’s Day, this year! I made the women in my life chocolate-dipped strawberry boxes with roses. I posted pictures on my social media and I received amazing feedback. People were asking how to purchase the boxes. I started taking orders that night!

With my love of business and always wanting to do cute and crafty things, my business wheels began to spin! Within a day or so I had 60 flavors of chocolate-dipped strawberries written down. I started making them and preparing a menu. I now have 36 “Speciality Berries” and I still have about 40 berries not released yet. The berries have kept me busy but them business wheels keep spinning! I have since released candied fruit and Chamoy & Tajin Fruit, My husband and I have owned bounce houses for about a year so I also decided to expand with that.

We do complete party planning now as well as I make dessert table treats and cakes. What started as a simple little gift has completely turned into a dream come true! I recently had our fourth child and am a stay-at-home mom, so this is my passion, aside from my family. I am fulfilling my dreams of being in the kitchen and owning my own business, and I may have finally figured out how to do cute and crafty things!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s really only been about two months but everything has its struggles. I’m not too tech-savvy so this is a struggle for me. I just try and wing the technical things as far as posting videos, and photos, and creating content to attract an audience. I also am learning how long everything takes and how to book everyone and complete orders in a timely fashion.

I do tend to overextend myself so it’s a lot of late nights and early mornings. Business is pretty consistent and doing it from home with my children can be a challenge. I thoroughly enjoy what I do though! I will stay up until 5 am working on orders and be back up by 9 am. I love seeing everyone’s reactions to their gifts or hearing the positive feedback from customers, it makes it all worthwhile.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I offer a variety of sweets and treats, all the way down to full-on party planning, and decorations. I specialize in making my Specialty Berries and candied fruit. I have 36 flavors and counting. From cheesecake, chocolate-dipped strawberries to Gansito strawberries. I make candied fruit and Chamoy & Tajin fruits; I will be coming out this week with new ideas for that as well!

I create dessert tables so pretzel rods, rice crispies, Oreo pucks, cake pucks, cake pops, cake circles, Hawaiian cheesecakes, and pretty much any treat I can create! I also threw our bounce houses into the mix along with the dessert tables so now we offer complete party planning and even cakes! I have to say I’m always proud of all my work as I always put in so much time and thought. I want everything to be perfect for my customers.

My specialty berries are my favorite as I created them myself and that’s what started my business, but I have to be most proud of my cakes. I am so proud of how my cakes have turned out especially from never decorating a cake before. This whole experience has just been amazing. The owner of my husband’s company said, “I have run and tried many businesses, you just have to find the right piece of pie to be successful.” I think I have found my pie!

I am hoping what sets me aside from others is I try and offer everything, so it’s like a one-stop shop from treats to parties. I partner with a local restaurant in town to provide food catering options for parties as well. So whether someone is looking for just a yummy treat, a beautifully handcrafted edible gift, or a whole party experience I can assist!

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I was not in business during Covid-19 but I was employed at a restaurant during Covid, so I definitely have learned how to take precautions. I typically box everything individually for dessert tables so there’s less risk of transmission of germs, viruses, or bacteria.

I have been serving safe certified as well as I am a certified food handler in my county so I am aware of all precautions to keep food safe. Our bounce houses are washed and sterilized after every rental to ensure a clean inflatable. I believe Covid just changed the perspective of everything for everyone.

Pricing:

• Normal chocolate-dipped berry boxes start at 10$
• My specialty berry boxes start at 13$
• Candied and Chamoy & Tajin fruits start at 15$
• Dessert tables vary on quantity and product desired but individual pricing for some items starts at 1$
• Cakes start at 75$ Bounce houses start at 100$

Contact Info:

• Email: Sweettreatsbyambray@outlook.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ambray_ochoa?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093374018983&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ambrayochoa?_t=8dtRmiSULXC&_r=1