While the products they make are quite different, small business owners Sarah Master and Lisa Barry express identical passions for being able to contribute to the Greater Peoria marketplace.
“The community is really important to us,” said Master, who operates Sarah Beth’s Homemade Dips in Hanna City, alongside her husband Tim. “We love what we do, and we want other people to love what we do.”
Barry and her husband Bob run the Tres Rojas Winery on their 51-acre vineyard on the edge of Washington.
“The friends in the industry that we have, it’s just such a strong community because we really love what we do, and we really believe in what we produce,” said Barry.
Master and Barry shared the moment Tuesday as they were presented with the hand-crafted commemorative plates that stand as the awards for being selected among this year’s winners in the state’s “Illinois Made Makers” campaign.
“What I think we really want to walk away from here with, is the stories that come from these small businesses,” said Discover Peoria President and CEO JD Dalfonso during the reception at Distillery Labs in downtown Peoria.
“I admire everybody that has taken the venture into small business, and continue to put your blood, sweat and tears — probably literally, but I won’t go so far to say, but I believe it. That goes into everything that you do here.”
The Illinois Made Maker awards were launched by the Illinois Office of Tourism in 2016 to showcase the state’s “culture, craftsmanship and creativity” by recognizing small business creators and artisans for their work.
While this year’s class honored 20 business statewide, Sarah Beth’s Homemade Dips and Tres Rojas were among only seven from outside the Chicago area.
“We’re proud to say that we are one of the top regions to receive Illinois Made Makers each and every year,” said Dalfonso, noting that 40% of last year’s winners south of Chicago came from the Greater Peoria region.
“It’s nothing against the great businesses in Chicago, but it is a large metropolitan area, and we make a strong effort to make sure that we’re represented strongly in this program.”
Master said she got her start in creating homemade dips 20 years ago, when she saw a recipe in a book that featured an ingredient her mother used to make a dill dip that she enjoyed as a kid.
“My mind went back to that moment, and I said, ‘I’m going to make this, Number One.’ Then I made it, and then I added to it, changed it until it was what I remembered,” she said.
“So what I did then is just, I experimented for many years. I would make little packets of dips and sell to friends and family, and then it just grew into where people loved what we were making. So we decided to make it a full-fledged business about eight summers ago.”
Barry said she and Bob began making wine as amateurs in 2015, but with the intention of starting a winery.
“We probably have visited over 300 wineries together, and in meeting the different winery owners and grape growers and tasting room setups, we’ve just really tried to build something that we thought was the best of everything that we’ve seen,” she said.
Knowing Illinois has a reputation as a “sweet wine” state, Barry said they wanted to buck that trend and help people expand their tastes. Through a hybrid of California juices and their Central Illinois grapes, Tres Rojas offers something a little different from mainstream store shelves and restaurants.
“What it means for us is that we have broader recognition of the hard work that we’ve put into making a really quality product that many people enjoy,” she said of the award.
“That’s what we’re striving for, is just really good, approachable, palatable wine that hopefully we’ll be distributing further than just our local Peoria area.”
Dalfonso said having small businesses such as these and others like them thrive goes a long way toward bringing people to the region and growing the local economy.
“It’s part of what I call ‘the destination cycle,’” he said. “If this area is perceived as a great place to visit, it translates into being a great place to live. Now, if it looks to be a great place to live, it’s a great place to do business.”
Master said she hopes the success of her business can motivate others to pursue their passions.
“I feel like if we’re able to tell our story, maybe we’ll inspire someone else who has something they’re doing at home, or they think, ‘Oh, I’d like to try to make this a business,’ to inspire them to go further with that thought,” said Master.
For Barry, she’s excited to know her product helps people enjoy good times and joyous occasions.
“Wine is social, you know? It’s part of our celebrations, our special moments,” she said. “We’re just so happy to be a part of that.”
