Bourbon & Butter might be a young company, but its beer cheese spread and bourbon truffles, painted with 24-karat gold, have been family favorites for years.

Founder Erin Jessup started selling her products through Better Cheddar, Hy-Vee, The Sundry and several other local stores late last year. You can also sample them at live events like Kegs ‘n’ Eggs on April 2 in Bonner Springs. The recipes are from her husband’s and brother-in-law’s grandmother.

“These are both Granny’s recipes,” Jessup said.

Jessup hadn’t planned to go into the retail business. She originally wanted to open her own Southern-style restaurant—and that’s still the eventual goal, in the next three years.

Selling consumer products, though, is an easier, less expensive way for Jessup to test consumers’ interest in her food. It also allows her to build up her brand in the meantime. “I have so many things I’d like to do under that umbrella,” she said.

Her advice for other entrepreneurs?

>> Get help from people who’ve already been down this road. Jessup has worked with the Ennovation Center, a local incubator that’s helped several local entrepreneurs start and grow their own food companies. Closer to home, her husband and brother-in-law, who are her partners in Bourbon & Butter, both have business backgrounds.

>> If you’re trying to get your product into stores, don’t underestimate the power of the cold call and simply showing up. Retailers are looking for interesting products, so you might find them to be more open than you’d expect. “If your product is good and you’re firm in who you are as a company,” Jessup said, “it shows.”

>> Don’t be afraid to get started. For a few years, Jessup had thought about starting her own business. She was motivated to take action after a friend had to give up her own entrepreneurial dream because of life circumstances.

Life’s too short not to follow your passion, she said.

“It was something I always I wanted to do and cross it off my bucket list,” Jessup said.