Colgate students have fanned out across the globe to apply their liberal arts know-how in a variety of real-world settings. They are writing back to campus to keep our community posted on their progress. This article was written by Erica Pais ’17, a sociology and educational studies double major from Sharon, Mass., interning at Chicory — a startup launched by Yuni Sameshima ’13 and Joey Petracca ’13.
This May, I moved to New York City to work as a marketing intern at Chicory. Chicory makes recipes shoppable by connecting recipe websites with online grocers, allowing consumers to have their ingredients delivered. At Colgate, I’m a member of Thought Into Action, which inspired me to intern at a startup and also put me in touch with Chicory’s founders, who mentor through TIA and are Colgate alumni. I’m an avid baker and cook, so I was thrilled to find a company that has food at the forefront of its mission.
As part of the Marketing Team, I help manage all social media outlets, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. We use social media to promote our food bloggers and our own written content, as well as to create a community among our recipe partners. I also contribute to the company blog and create weekly e-mail newsletter content.
Now that I’ve been here for four weeks, I’ve learned that marketing is about a lot more than just posting on social media. Our team actively pursues potential recipe partners while maintaining relationships with current partners. Chicory pays attention to detail and ensures that our partners feel a personal connection to the company.
With only seven full-time employees in our office, Chicory is a small company, and I’m able to interact with everyone on a daily basis. The company culture is fun and friendly, but professional at the same time. Chicory has struck a nice balance on that front. I love that the whole team eats lunch together every day to catch up and check in with one another. We even have a Ping-Pong table in the office. All of the employees are amazing players, so they are collectively training me!
Being a small startup, Chicory is the perfect place to learn about many aspects of a company. I have been offered opportunities to participate in sales calls and even to learn about how our technology works. Working at Chicory has been a fantastic experience, reaffirming my passion for working in a food-related field.
Although I don’t know exactly what career I hope to pursue, being here has shed light on multiple possibilities. Going into senior year, I’m still figuring it out, but am sure I will find my way. I look forward to learning more throughout the rest of my internship!
Related:
Erica Pais ’17 on making connections through baking
Summer internship blog series: fighting frontotemporal degeneration