Key Points
- The Smet couple funded their dream business by pouring in at least $150,000 of their combined savings.
- To save costs, the couple’s garage was converted to a commercial kitchen.
- Determining personal and professional time may prove to be a challenge when working with your spouse, according to the Smet couple.
Listen to the podcast
Chocolatier couple: Pinagtagpo ang landas sa pag-ibig at negosyo
SBS Filipino
10:45
For chocolatier couple Dmitri and Jae Smet, they know they’re in good company.
Love for chocolate brought them together
Building a career around chocolates is a path Dmitri took on. He studied as an artisan chef and trained as a pastry chef there in Belgium, his country of origin. This was also where he was scouted and hired to operate a chocolaterie in Yarra Valley in Melbourne.
In 2018, he was invited to be a judge in a chocolate competition in a winery in Victoria. Little did he know that he would meet his future wife, Jae.
Equally skilled as a pâtissier, she was a contender in the competition. She emerged as the winner. “It was hard not to notice her because she looked neat and very skilled. But since I had to be act in a professional manner, it took quite some time before I reached out to her to make my intentions known,” Dmitri recalls.
After a few months, that message advanced into a relationship, and eventually marriage. They moved and settled in Tasmania. This is where Dmitri saw the potential of making their own chocolate factory given that the climate is temperate with low humidity.
Artisanal chocolate magic happens at home
Forking out at least $150,000 of their combined savings, they built their brand 'Lakker Chocolatiers'. The amount covered chocolate tempering machine, freezer, among others.
To cut costs, the Smet couple converted their home garage into a commercial kitchen.
“We did everything as a couple. To lend my support to my husband, I painstakingly created a website -thanks to YouTube tutorials. All the photos you see in our website, as well as the packaging, the flavors – all of that is us,” Jae says.
Tasmania has embraced the Smet couple’s artisanal chocolaterie.
It’s rewarding to see the locals when they buy our products and try our chocolates, they’d say ‘WOW’. I go home and say, we did this together. It is something special.Dmitri Smet, entrepreneur and chocolatier
Working with your spouse: It’s complicated
When asked about difficulties with working with your partner, Dmitri says it can be complicated given that they are both skilled when it comes to chocolates.
“We have our strong points and different visions. It’s a compromise,” he shares.
But Jae credits communication for keeping things peaceful at home and in the business.
It’s nice to see my husband grow and succeeding (in our business). He is his own boss and he is happy to create confections whenever he wants.Jae Smet, entrepreneur and chocolatier
For those who are keen on opening a business with their romantic partner, the Smet couple sums up their advice to these points:
· Listen to each other – continue to have respectful boundaries amid business – related tensions.
· Hard work pays off - keep pursuing your dreams as a couple.
· Believe in your partner- provide emotional support as needed.
