Klado started out as a passion for Brigadeiros and an idea. When Jesse had his first Brigadeiro he was shocked and confused. Shocked as to how such a small dessert packed in so much flavor and depth. Confused as to why he had never seen, heard or tried a Brigadeiro before.
After figuring out how to pronounce Brigadeiro (Brig.a.day.ro), Jesse was keen on having more. At first, we would make Brigadeiros for ourselves and eat the entire batch in one sitting. Then, when friends and family would come visit us, we'd make them in lieu of buying dessert. People kept asking "Where did you get these?" We got to thinking. Could we be on to something?

Jesse and I spent countless hours experimenting with different ingredients, methods and techniques. After a lot of trial and error, we were ready to go to market with our Brigadeiros. We deliberated on what to call ourselves, our company, our product. At the time, we thought that a call to action would be a good fit for our company. So, we named ourselves Pick a BonBon and our products Amegrideiros (American Brigadeiros). 

I created a simple banner with our company name and slogan: "Heavy on the taste, not on the waist" and booked us our first food market.

Here's an except of our 2015 debut event from a Jersey City blogger Aisnnpaula:

"Pick a BonBon makes their pastries sweet but small enough so the sweetness is just right and not too much. They call these Brazilian inspired bonbons..."

After a few pop-ups and food markets, we realized that Amegrideiros were even harder to pronounce. Our company name, Pick a BonBon, was a too cutesy and confusing. We weren't selling bonbons. We weren't creating basic and "cute" flavors. Instead we were creating a new genre of truffles. A different, bold and unique take on a traditional Brazilian truffle - Brigadeiros. 
After dabbling for a couple of years as Pick a BonBon and confirming that there was a demand for our products. We made the difficult, but exciting decision to re-brand. 
We believed so strongly in our product that we wanted to link ourselves directly to our brand. We did various name combinations and then it clicked, Klado. 

Klado is the literal embodiment of mine and Jesse's last names. Klee and Prado combined. Klado is us.

Here's to remembering the beginning and celebrating the journey!