Stephanie Berwick of Pastazerts: From Fintech to Food Innovator with Chocolate Ravioli Desserts

Please share a brief introduction about yourself and your business

I'm Stephanie Berwick, a former 20-year fintech executive who transitioned to food entrepreneurship in 2023. I founded Pastazerts - an innovative dessert company that created the market's first chocolate ravioli desserts.

Pastazerts specializes in premium sweet ravioli with flavors like Strawberry Cheesecake and Peanut Butter & Jelly. We're currently in 200+ retail locations and several restaurants. Our mission is to revolutionize the dessert industry with Italian-inspired innovations while maintaining a commitment to quality ingredients and sustainable growth.

Who are your customers?

Our customers are premium dessert enthusiasts and adventurous foodies

What was your background prior to starting your own business?

Prior to Pastazerts, I had a 20-year career in technology with a focus on finance. 

Professional violinist with the United Nations Symphony Orchestra, experience as a volunteer EMT and public speaker. Competed in World Food Championships

What made you take the leap to start your own business?

My leap into entrepreneurship started with a passion for innovation and creating "firsts" in the food industry, the desire to combine my diverse experiences (finance, culinary, arts) into something unique. and a natural inclination for self-reinvention and independence with a strong drive to build something meaningful from scratch.

Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Certainly not! I was a corporate career "climb the ladder" gal for so long until it became harder to compete as I got older. Then I realized I had all the skills and experience needed to go out on my own.

Take us back to when you first launched your business; what was your marketing strategy to get the word out and did it go as planned?

When Pastazerts first launched, we focused primarily on social media presence across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, complemented by grassroots word-of-mouth marketing. In-store sampling became our most powerful tool for converting skeptical customers into instant advocates - people needed to taste our innovative chocolate ravioli to believe in it.

What is the biggest challenge you have encountered along the way so far and what have you learned from it?

The biggest challenge has been managing rapid growth while maintaining operational stability. As a first-time food entrepreneur, I've experienced the classic startup challenge of balancing expansion opportunities with sustainable business operations. When retailers started showing strong interest in Pastazerts, it was tempting to say yes to every opportunity, but this created complexities in inventory management, production scheduling, and cash flow timing.

What I've learned is the importance of strategic, measured growth rather than trying to seize every opportunity at once. It's taught me to be more selective about which retail partnerships to pursue, to negotiate better payment terms, and to maintain stronger operational buffers.

What accomplishment are the most proud of to date in your business?

I'm most proud of successfully pivoting from my established fintech career to create something entirely new in the food industry. Starting with just an innovative idea for chocolate ravioli desserts, we've grown into a brand that's now carried in hundreds of specialty stores.

Do you have any recent wins from the last year that you'd like to celebrate with our community?

Very proud of expanding our retail presence significantly to over 200 stores, now reaching customers through premium retailers like DeCicco & Sons, ShopRite, and Fairway. I'm particularly proud that we've achieved this growth while staying true to our commitment to quality.

What's next for your business? What can we expect to see over the next few years?

In the immediate future, we're expanding into the food service sector, which opens up entirely new opportunities with restaurants, hotels, and catering services. We're also launching an innovative new Cannoli-filled chocolate ravioli in 2025, adding to our successful lineup of Strawberry Cheesecake and PB&J flavors. Looking further ahead, we're developing new flavors like tiramisu and fig & limoncello to keep pushing dessert innovation forward.

What is your top productivity tip? 

Schedule everything - on the calendar! And stick to it as best you can. Try to avoid distractions, even turn off email if needed. I always have a to do list to track deliverables as well, I like checking things off as it makes me feel like I accomplished tasks. And I try to rotate "in office" days with "field" days so I'm in the community and not just stuck behind a glass screen.

On the flip side, how do you avoid burnout?

Take breaks - typically I work 6 days a week so that 1 day off is everything. It helps me rest, recharge, and clear my head from the prior week.

What is your approach to work-life balance / integration?

Coming from the tech world we worked long hours as it was, so most of my adult life I've worked long hours. Work bleeds into personal life, that's just how it is when you don't work for "9-5" jobs. It's amplified 100X as an entrepreneur, all you think about is the business. But I try to take small breaks during the day, go out for a walk or get a workout in, or even just take an actual lunch break. I make sure to spend quality time with my husband on that 1 day off. And during the week, the nights I am home I love to cook dinner so that's a priority.

What is one thing you wish you had known when you started your Entreprenista journey?

Don't overspend in the early days, it's hard to know what you absolutely need to purchase vs what can be avoided or pushed off. Start small because everything changes quickly - from your marketing messaging, to packaging, to your product itself. Don't overcommit to anything until there's some stability.

When hiring, what is your go-to interview question?

What's the perfect day on your day off? This gives a peek into how they spend their time outside of work and a bit into their values. Plus I'm always surprised at the commonalities I share with them in their answer - another bonding/talking point to help get to know the candidate.

If you've raised capital for your business already, what are some of your best tips or lessons learned?

Don't be afraid to ask everyone! We did a small friends & family round late 2024 and I was pleasantly surprised at how many former colleagues and friends I haven't seen in many years contributed. People believe in you and they generally want to see you successful. So don't be afraid to ask, the worst they can say is no (or just ignore you haha).

Are you a Mamaprenista? If so, please share your best advice for simultaneously managing a business and a family

My business is my baby, no human babies for me.

Do you have a co-founder? If so, how did you find the right one for you and what are your best partnership tips?

My partner in life is my cofounder.

What's the one app on your phone you absolutely cannot live without and why?

Sintra - it's an AI 'helper' similar to ChatGPT

What is your favorite business tool or solution and why?

I'm a former finance gal so I love spreadsheets - Google Sheets now (formerly Excel). I built what I call my bible file - houses all my products COGS, pricing, sales plan and dashboard, and even some operational components.

What advice do you have for aspiring Entreprenistas?

Go for it! Start somewhere if you have a great idea and want to take the leap. If you have a paying job keep it until you absolutely can no longer manage both. But start somewhere - even if it's just getting a tax ID number for the business - each small step builds momentum and gets you excited to keep going.

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