Along with the Oscars at the 80th annual Academy Awards Sunday (Feb. 24), a cocoa from the Southern Arizona desert was handed out.
Arizona Loco Cocoa was included among $10,000 worth of items in VIP gift bags given out at Style Hollywood Magazine’s Red Carpet Suite at the Luxe Hotel on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Roxanna Landry, owner of Sweet Rustler Treats, also had a cocoa bar set up in the suite.
  
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"I was inspired the first week of January (just one week before the Golden Globe Awards) to contact Style Hollywood Magazine," she said.
Landry had read an article about another Tucson entreprenuer who had his Tyler’s Coffee served in Style Hollywood Magazine’s red carpet suite previously, and would be featured again at last month’s Golden Globe Awards.
"I thought I might introduce myself in hopes of including my cocoa in the suite in 2009," Landry said. "The woman who was in charge of that suite answered the phone and little did I know that they were actively searching for someone with a cocoa product that they could serve in the suite this year. She asked me if I could get something to her in the next three days."
After speaking with Anita Talbert at Style Hollywood Magazine, Landry sent 600 packages of Arizona Loco Cocoa – both with sugar and sugar-free – not only for the 300 VIP gift bags but also to be used in a special cocoa bar right next to the coffee bar serving Tyler’s Coffee.
As it turned out, the big awards ceremony for the Golden Globes was cancelled this year due to the writer’s strike at the time. But Landry believes that may have been the best thing that could have happened for her.
"They were all dressed up with nowhere to go and they needed to be seen so they stopped at red carpet suites," she said.
There wasn’t someone making the cocoa for the celebrities, yet, despite having to make it themselves, all 600 servings were consumed.
She said she was immediately asked to participate again for the Academy Awards.
"This time I drove 2,400 servings out to California myself," Landry said. "I wanted to meet these people in person and I wanted to see for myself that this wasn’t a dream.
It was much more real once I got there. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought my cocoa would be served to celebrities."
Landry started her business as a way to have a family business she could do with her mother, whom she had just moved to Tucson from California. In 2002, Landry started Roxy’s Gift Boxys. She and her mother made gift boxes containing fudge. That first November she marketed the gift boxes to 10 people and was overwhelmed by the response.
"Shortly after, I had 40 different flavors of fudge," Landry said. "We decided to rename the company to Sweet Rustler Treats."
In May 2003, Landry’s brother – who is diabetic – asked her if she could try making a sugar-free fudge.
"It took six months of research and experimentation to come up with a sugar-free fudge that literally tasted better than my sugar fudge," Landry said.
She now has more than 50 flavors of fudge both with sugar and sugar-free.
In 2004, Landry was again challenged to come up with a sugar-free cocoa.
"It took me about a month to come up with a recipe that was very tasty and that was absolutely sugar-free," Landry said. "We kind of went into that product backwards because after the sugar-free cocoa, we made some with sugar. However, people can’t tell the difference between the two."
The especially unique aspect of Landry’s Loco Cocoa, is it can be served hot or cold.
"That is something we have to reprogram everyone with," she said. "Everyone only thinks about cocoa as a winter-time drink, but this cocoa is good year-round."
In the coming months, Landry is releasing the cocoa in a new package to appeal to outdoor enthusiasts – campers, hikers, bikers – who can make the cocoa with just water so it doesn’t need to be refrigerated or heated.
She also is working on getting the cocoa into some local hotels for people who want to drink something besides coffee.
"I know it is hard to believe for those coffee drinkers, but there are a lot of people out there who don’t drink coffee and don’t have an alternative," Landry said.
With the excitement of the Academy Awards behind her, Landry has another boost for her business on the horizon. She has already been asked to participate again at the red carpet suite for the Emmy Awards in September.
"It is unreal," she said. "But there is no bigger credential I can have as I try to move this business forward."
Sweet Rustler Treats
1502 W. Wetmore Drive
(520) 907-0079
www.sweet-rustler-treats.com
Sweet Rustler Treats makes Arizona Loco Cocoa in 38 flavors both sugar and sugar free as well as Fhantom Fudge in more than 50 flavors both sugar and sugar free.
Contact Joe Pangburn at jpangburn@azbiz.com or at (520) 295-4259.
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