Freshly picked

Freshly Picked is a Utah-based company founded by Susan Petersen offering moccasins for infants and children. The company recently expanded with a new collection of handmade handbags.

History

In 2009, Freshly Picked founder Susan Petersen became frustrated by the lack of well-designed shoes for babies. Using scrap leather purchased at a yard sale, Petersen created a pair of simple moccasins for her son. She continued experimenting with moccasin designs until she developed a pair of moccasins that looked appealing but also stayed on infant feet.

Seeing a business opportunity, Petersen decided to produce and sell her moccasins to other parents. She initially funding her business by recycling scrap aluminum gathered from her brother’s window installation company. After the summer of 2009, Petersen had gathered $200 cash from the recycled aluminum and launched her business.

Freshly Picked grew quickly after. In a 2013 interview, Petersen said, “When I was looking for a career, I focused mainly on things that I would be able to do from home, which at the time wasn’t much. When I started Freshly Picked it was simply because a friend of mine had told me that she was going to make ‘stuff’ and sell it online. I thought to myself, for sure I can do that. So I taught myself how to sew and got started.” As of October 2013, Freshly Picked was shipping 200-300 orders per day to customers.

In January 2014, Petersen was featured on the ABC television program Shark Tank. She successfully pitched her business, and investor Daymond John agreed to invest $150,000 for 25 percent of the company’s ownership.

Currently, Freshly Picked moccasins are only sold in Petersen’s online store, though she plans on using the investment from Daymond John to quickly expand into retail stores.

Trivia

Freshly Picked moccasins have been featured on several blogs and news outlets, including Parenting Magazine, US Weekly, In Touch, and others. The children of Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, and various other celebrities have been seen wearing Freshly Picked moccasins.