ASHLAND — Friends and business partners Mike McPherran and Brock Meadows are just having fun.
A little more than two years ago, the duo launched Dulci Sweets in Ashland — a chocolate and sweets manufacturing company with products available to purchase primarily online.
They moved in to a small storefront within a strip mall along East Main Street and got to work. Now, Dulci has grown and is ready for a bigger operation.
On Thursday, the community celebrated with Dulci’s owners on their expansion into two next-door storefronts to allow for a larger manufacturing and storage facility. The 2,000 square-foot move tripled the company’s previous space.
It’s there the family-owned business produces, packs and ships its products to clients who make orders online.
Before moving into the candy industry, McPherran worked in electronic securities. He sold his business, Sentinel Protection Services in 2012 and worked within the industry until December 2021.
“I wanted to get out. The travel killed time with the family — it just wasn’t worth it for me,” McPherran said.
McPherran met Meadows, a serial entrepreneur with history owning his own gym and training programs of high-caliber athletes.
The duo became fast friends and they were both ready for something new.
With a shared faith and vision, they decided to give gratefulness a try. It started with sending thank-you cards to corporate employees and morphed into chocolate.
“We did that for Easter one year, and then it just got to this large scale,” McPherran said.
Now, the business model centers around gifting. As a customer, you can arrange a box full of chocolates and sweets to send to a friend, client, employee or family members.
Dulci also offers a fundraising platform, McPherran said.
‘We just have fun’
The duo says it often: “We just have fun,” Meadows said. But it goes deeper than fun.
The friends share a deep faith in God, which helped shaped a vision of “Faith, Family, Country, Relationships and Community” through sharing sweets.
“There’s a ton of people who love chocolate,” McPherran said. “Everybody loves getting gifts and everybody loves getting a sweet gift.”
The fun and faith has led to the need to expand.
Right now, McPherran’s family of five helps pack and ship. Meadow’s family of four helps too, but they live in Powell.
McPherran said they are looking at possibly hiring one or two employees in the next six months to a year.
Meadows said it’s been fun to see the business grow as he and McPherran have “just given it to God.”
In the next month, the company expects a machine to arrive at the shop that will allow them to multiply the output six times.
“We can’t make it fast enough,” he said.
Cardale Jones, former Buckeye quarterback, is one of Dulci’s loyal customers. Jones showed up Thursday to the company’s ceremony. He and Meadows are business partners in a sports performance training facility in Columbus.
“My favorite thing they make is definitely the Brock Bites. They’re addicting,” Jones said on Thursday between taking selfies with fans. His mom likes the popcorn, too.
Dolci, located at 1151 East Main St. in Ashland, offers pick-up of products. Browse their sweets online.