Last Call

James and Marle Towne

owners of Bali Marle

James and Marle Towne Is that what inspired you to are the couple behind Bali begin selling your packaged

Marle, an Indonesian street snacks? food concept known for its JT: That began when I was recomfort and spice. COVID-19 laxing and watching a movie at has forced the Townes to our house. Marle said, “I made pivot their business model from us a snack.” street food pop-ups to include MT: The kacang and kwaci are packaging pantry staples such made without sugar. They are as kacang (spicy peanuts) and sweet from the honey. I started kwaci (spicy sunflower seeds.) making them for myself be

You can purchase all current cause I knew they were good for offerings online at: https:// me. Then, I thought, “These will bali-marle.square.site/. Bali be good for others too.”

Marle is grateful for the JT: I took one bite and said, guidance and support pro“Why aren’t we selling this?” vided by Worcester Regional We did some trials at Exhibit

Food Hub, an ever-growing ‘A’ Brewing Company, selling network that aims to connect cups of the peanuts for $5. We “farmers, food entrepreneurs, gave some to General Manchefs, business leaders, and ager Kelsey Roth and he came advocates for local food.” back ten minutes later saying, “I want to carry these all How has COVID-19 impacted the time.” The wheels started your business? turning. We had to take a two

JT: At first, it was two day workshop and because of months of nothing. COVID, our exam kept getting rescheduled. Finally, we were able to take the test and I’m happy to share we passed it. Now, we have our license and we are looking for local retailers to sell kacang and kwaci.

Do you still use the Worcester Regional Food Hub as your prep kitchen?

MT: Yes, everything is produced at the Food Hub.

Where can we buy your snacks?

JT: The Food Hub in

Worcester, Exhibit

‘A’ in Framingham,

The Bagel Table in

Ashland, CraftRoots in Milford, and a handful of other places. We have an online store, but shipping is outrageously expensive. Marle uses Indonesian spices to make unique hamburger seasoning and french fry shakes. They are also great on bacon.

Everyone seems to be doing a lot more cooking at home, so I think you have the right idea to diversify your business model.

JT: Shon Rainford, the director of the Worcester Food Hub, is encouraging us to really move this stuff. MT: We are so grateful for his support. He makes sure we don’t ever give up. JT: We want to make Bali Marle a household name. We are also working on a frozen food product called lumpias for down the road, once we have enough capital. We literally can’t hold on to them. Our lumpias are hugely popular; people want them all the time. As the Food Hub expands, we hope to be able to produce lumpias more regularly. Think of them like tiny spring rolls.

I hear space is at a premium over there.

JT: Oh yeah, it’s a fight for kitchen time. So many people are taking advantage of the Food Hub to get certified, obtain insurance, secure permitting and make food.

That sounds like a good problem to have. I’m glad so many people are taking advantage of all they have to offer. Where can we find Bali Marle in the near future?

MT: Every Sunday, you can find us at Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing from 12-4 p.m., and on August 14, we are bringing our burger to CraftRoots Brewing in Milford from 4:30-7:30 p.m. JT: Both breweries are terrific.