Gail White (created the original recipe for Texas Moon Gourmet Toffee), Sadie Moon Hudson (toffee named after Sadie's maiden name) and Victoria Ashworth (founder of the Texas Moon company)
Biography: Victoria White Ashworth
Founder & Chief Taster: Texas Moon Gourmet Toffee
Victoria White Ashworth founded Texas Moon Gourmet Toffee in 1999, recognizing a longtime dream to take a treasured family recipe public. Since that time, Texas Moon has surpassed business projections and demand for the confection continues to grow. Some might say Ashworth inherited her entrepreneurial spirit and strong work ethic. For over 50 years, the White family owned retail stores, J.B. White Co., with locations throughout Texas. She and her three siblings learned the business at an early age, and Victoria always had her own projects, as well. While in her teens, she capitalized on an early 80s trend – Twister Beads – plunking down allowance and babysitting money to launch her maiden venture.
Ashworth studied business at Texas A&M University, specializing in marketing. An entrepreneurship course, taught by Clayton Williams, Jr., citing success stories and challenges of entrepreneurship, fascinated her. After college, Victoria worked in the advertising agency business in Dallas for a number of years before returning home to East Texas in the mid 90s to an executive level position in hospital marketing. A demanding schedule did not deter her from the goal of making her mother’s toffee recipe a favorite in households across the country. Utilizing her background in business, marketing and advertising, plus strong working knowledge of packaging and graphic design, Victoria has taken this dream to a new level in establishing Texas Moon Gourmet Toffee.
The young entrepreneur is quick to credit family, friends, and peers with making the dream a reality. Within the candy industry, she has found an extremely supportive network of individuals who provide invaluable advice. While her genteel and gracious grandmother Sadie Moon Hudson was her inspiration; she has tapped the talents of her entire family to make Texas Moon Gourmet Toffee a success. Victoria’s mother and father have served as “quality control,” sampling tirelessly as her mother’s recipe was matched and perfected in a commercial kitchen. They continue to be involved today as frontline ambassadors, offering product samples and writing orders when Texas Moon Gourmet Toffee goes to market. Likewise, Victoria’s attorney brother assisted in legal name searches and copyright efforts to protect the secret recipe; her sister the interior designer was a consultant on packaging design; and her venture capitalist brother reviewed her business plan and continues to serve as an advisor as the unique candy business grows.
With demand for the product continuing to grow each year, Victoria Ashworth’s dream of entrepreneurship seems to be a sweet deal for all.