How do you take a small business from a small town across the nation? Some delicious chili doesn’t hurt. That’s the story of this week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guests, Angie and Dee Cowger. Angie and Dee are the Co-Founders of The Custard Stand and Custard Stand Food Products. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.
Episode 229: Angie and Dee Cowger – Chili Champions, Co-Founders of Custard Stand
Angie and Dee Cowger, the Co-Founders of The Custard Stand and Custard Stand Food Products, join the show to share their journey from renovating a car wash to taking their chili recipe across the nation. Hear how to start a business with your significant other, grow your production team, sell to major retailers and consumers, the most creative uses of chili, and the time they saw the Northern Lights in Alaska. This episode covers everything from chili dogs to leaky faucets. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- What is the secret recipe
- When did Angie and Dee know they’d work together
- What convinced them a restaurant would be a good space to be in
- How did they decide to take their chili around the nation
- What does Custard Stand’s manufacturing look like today
- How do Angie and Dee divide and conquer
- What are their guilty pleasures
- Hey, Buddy!
Connect with Angie and Dee at CustardStand.com and on Facebook and Instagram @CustardStand.
Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.
Show Notes
- Intro & Chili
- [0:35] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
- [0:46] Connect with Angie and Dee at CustardStand.com and on Facebook and Instagram @CustardStand
- [2:23] What is the secret recipe
- [2:32] WOW
- [2:45] When did Angie and Dee know they’d work together
- [3:07] Shoutout, Mr. & Mrs. B!
- [3:22] What gave Angie and Dee the idea to start a business together
- [4:33] Shoutout, Loucille!
- [4:47] What convinced Angie and Dee a restaurant would be a good space to be in
- [5:03] Elsie’s Dairy Bar
- [6:23] Webster Springs, WV
- The Custard Stand Story
- [7:17] The Custard Stand, Custard Stand Food Products
- [8:06] How did Angie and Dee decide to take their chili around the nation
- [10:59] Entrepreneurs
- [14:09] Gold Star
- [14:24] How was the transition for Angie and Dee growing their production team
- [14:43] Steam Jacketed Kettle
- [15:18] Quality Control (QC)
- [15:33] Plant Manager (PM)
- [16:17] What does Custard Stand’s manufacturing look like today
- [16:42] Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
- [17:46] What do Angie and Dee each focus on
- [18:09] US Foods, Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, Harris Teeter, Food City, Food Lion
- [20:05] Publix, Giant, ACME, Market Basket, ALDI, Lidl
- [20:42] What’s the difference in selling to big retailers vs. consumers
- [21:02] EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), Invoices, PO (Purchase Order)
- [22:17] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
- Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
- [23:12] Family Business
- [23:29] What’s allowed Angie and Dee to work well together in the business world
- [24:25] Whitetail Frenzy
- [24:53] Networking, Social Media, Facebook
- [26:05] What does Angie think of Dee’s hunting trips
- [26:47] What is Angie’s guilty pleasure
- [27:15] Historical Romance Novels
- [27:29] The Hunger Games
- [27:44] Nora Roberts (J.D. Robb), Danielle Steel
- The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
- Rapid-Fire Q&A
- [33:19] What is the most creative use Angie and Dee have seen for their chili
- [33:32] Skyline Chili, MadTree Brewing
- [34:22] Mashed Potato Bars
- [34:32] Sloppy Joes
- [34:53] Saskatchewan, Alfalfa
- [35:36] Northern Lights, Chena Hot Springs
- [36:26] Fairbanks, AK, Myrtle Beach, SC
- [37:02] Snapchat
- [37:13] Holden Beach Turtles
- [37:29] Split-Rail Fence
- [38:08] 5 and 10 Cent Store
- [38:59] What is Angie and Dee’s favorite part of living in West Virginia
- [40:30] Connect with Angie and Dee at CustardStand.com and on Facebook and Instagram @CustardStand
- [41:55] What are Angie and Dee’s Final Thoughts
- [43:00] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And 5 stars on Apple Podcasts & Spotify if you’re feeling extra nice
- [43:19] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
- [43:23] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
- [43:26] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
- [43:31] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
- Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo
What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?
Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.
How do you start a podcast?
Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.
Thanks for listening to Angie and Dee Cowger on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And try lots and lots of Custard Stand chili with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!
