 “Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventures.” We couldn't agree more with this moving quote by Lovelle Drachman. Wanderlust, the itch to travel, the absolute need for excursions, is a human trait felt so deep that it is no wonder that the travel industry is booming both internationally as well in your own backyard. Ever heard of a staycation? Our December Business of the Month is a client whose amazing property is nestled on the west side of Zion, close enough to Salt Lake but far enough away it feels like a true getaway. With spectacular views of the classic mesas and green river valleys of Southern Utah, Zions Tiny Oasis includes a beautiful blend of comfortable tiny homes with a rugged outdoor experience for a once in a lifetime stay. Keep reading to find out more about owners Liliana Corona and Sam Moyle and why they started Zions Tiny Oasis.
UMLF: Tell us about yourselves and your background: Liliana: My name is Liliana Corona, and I’m originally from Mexico. I was the odd child growing up, being different really set me apart. It wasn’t intentional, but my ideas often seems a little crazy to most. Joining the boys varsity wrestling team foreshadowed my passion for tackling big challenges. At an early age, I learned to defy stereotypes and beat the odds when facing problems. Sam grew up on a ranch near Zion National Park. He managed and worked on his parents property most of his life. He loved the outdoors and learned to repair just about anything that needed fixing. Sam always dreamed of being his own boss and having a successful business. Determined to make his dream a reality, he obtained a bachelor's degree in business. We met six years ago and hit our four year anniversary this October. What inspired you to open Zions Tiny Oasis? Liliana: A few years ago while I was working on my masters degree in Film, I attempted to do a film shoot near Zion National Park. Sam and I were dating at the time and I thought it convenient since he was familiar with all the beautiful cinematic landscapes in the area. I had not anticipated how difficult it would be to find housing for twenty + crew members near the park. Everything within a 30 mile radius was booked solid! What I thought was a dinky little desert town, turned out to have a huge lodging deficit for visitors alike. I wondered if this was common and Sam said “It happens every year” And so, a light bulb went off. We saw a need, and began to plan what turned into a four year journey. Zions Tiny Oasis finally opened its doors; we are the only luxury tiny house retreat minutes from Zion National Park! UMLF: Your four tiny houses are all so different. What inspired the design of each one? Liliana: My art and film background is to blame. I love being on set...I want everyone to experience what it’s like to be in one. When you step into a tiny home it’s much the same...thrilling, exciting and magical - like a movie set! Also, art is meant to evoke emotion and our tiny homes are meant to do just that. When inside, these homes help transport our guests to times during childhood. A time of nostalgia; when innocence, joy and the spirit of exploration thrived! Also, the views, the stars, and the silence here bring a sense of peace and clarity that are hard to find. We built this place with that goal in mind - to facilitate a space for individuals to embrace the inner child, live in the present and enjoy a day of play outside. We hope that those who visit will embrace their inner child; shifting our perspectives to a remembrance of things that matter most. ZTO is a place that gives its visitors a taste of movie magic to take and share with others wherever life takes them. UMLF: Your tiny homes are definitely decked out, tell us about some of your favorite features? Liliana: Our 1st tiny home “Guardian Angel” has very tall windows; it gives the feel of being in a larger unit. The large windows help to really enjoying the majestic 360 views from outside! This unit also comes with a dishwasher and full kitchen appliances. “Noah’s Ark” the unit my husband and I built designed, is reminiscent of a train you might see in a classic western movie, or from a front view, it looks like Captain Hooks pirate ship. It has a trap window above the bed for star gazing during bed time, and a beautiful bay window to lounge in that can also be used as a karaoke stage. The unit also has a back office space and a jetted tub. Our third unit - “Mother Eve” looks like something you’d see in an epic fairytale story book. The color and craftsmanship of the house is truly enchanting! Though it’s our smallest unit, it’s gorgeous inside. It has perfect ambient lighting, soft shaggy rugs, champaign gold appliances and marble countertops. Plus, it’s so cozy; it’s the perfect fancy for a romantic tiny getaway! Our fourth unit is quite a rare find, it’s the only unit with multiple gadgets and an Edison style finish. “Salomons Chamber” is a tiny house the boys will love. It has two retractable garage doors, a rooftop with 15 sky windows for full stargazing, a built in foosball machine that folds away and much more! All our tiny homes are unique...you’ll want to try them all! Tell us about the surrounding area, what can people do when they come visit? Liliana: Zions Tiny Oasis is just minutes from a variety of rad things to do. We have a bmx track less than a mile away, atv trails, horseback riding, water tubing, helicopter rides and even a ghost town to visit. We also border the west side of Zion (the free side) which - in my opinion, is better. It’s secluded and equally as beautiful, this part of Zion has free hikes, trails and petroglyph caves to visit. Our property also has a creek running through it. Our guest can roam free on our 75 acres. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Liliana: A huge challenge for us was learning to say No. Communicating effectively and sticking to our guns has been a learning curve. We learned that - wanting to be “nice” or, to not “hurt people's feelings” especially with potential partners is not effective. When things were unclear or started heading in a direction we didn’t want, we had to be professional but firm with what we wanted. Even if what we had to say would “hurt feelings”, speaking honestly and openly has payed off so far. Reviewing roles in the business, saying no, having honest communication and sometimes even cutting ties with individuals has been uncomfortable, but extremely necessary to keep the business running smoothly. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Liliana: UMLF has helped us tremendously. We had a goal of having four units by the end of the year. This was key so that we could afford to hire out permanent help. The UMLF helped us met our goal and we can now comfortably afford to hire permanent help, as Sam and I both were in desperate need of assistance. We are so grateful because having the fourth tiny house puts us on the map as a resort, and it opens up many more opportunities! Now we will be able to focus on expanding the business and our dream of phase two rather than wearing all the hats. We are infinitely grateful to UMLF; we could not have met our goal without their help. It’s programs such as these that help individuals in the community make their dream a possibility! Thank you for believing in us. To plan your visit, check out their profiles here:
It's November! Which means it is almost time for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Girlsgiving and everything in between. No matter who you celebrate breaking bread with, we all know that what you bring to the table (literally) says who you are as a person. Our recommendation for dinner? Park City Creamery of course! We sat down with owner Corinne Zinn to hear how she got her start making her delicious cheeses and her recommended pairings that will definitely be the star of any table.
UMLF: Corinne, tell us about your background and why you started Park City Creamery? Corinne: When I moved to the US 15 years ago in the beautiful region of The North Fork, between all the vineyards, I was missing my European cheeses. There were a lot of good wines but no one was making cheeses. Coming from Belgium I used to organize wine and cheese pairings in Brussels quite often. There you could find cheese stores in every corner of every street and finding myself surrounded by vineyards and no cheeses I needed to do something about that! So I started to research online and connected with some French cheese makers and farmers and started to buy goat milk from a local farm and following the advice from the knowledgeable French cheesemakers I started to make some small batches of goat cheeses. I started out just giving it my family and friends, until I decided to bring some to Leroux Creek Inn and Maison La Belle Vie, two French Vineyard in Colorado, FROMAGE !! They got very excited about it and started my little farm business, called then Roubideau Farm to You - We could see the Roubideau Canyon from our farm (canyon named from Antoine Roubideau - Fur trapper in 1828). So I was buying my milk from a local farmer who couldn't keep up and told me I should buy my own goats so I ended up with a herd of 50 goats...Unfortunately I got divorced and had to sell my goats and farm which was bought by a farmer in Midway UT. I told him since he is buying my goats I would help him to create his cheese business and work as a consultant for Duval Farm in Midway. Deer Valley Resorts was buying our cheeses and after a while proposed me joining the Deer Valley Team and create Deer Valley Artisan cheeses. I worked as a cheesemaker for Deer Valley for four years until the resort was sold and they decided not to pursue the cheese program. Our cheese was already in numerous stores in Utah and my customers were sad to lose such a great product, that's when after brainstorming with friends and my new husband I decided to launch Park City Creamery and create authentic products using premium goat milk and cow milk sourced locally. Our goat milk comes from Drake Farms and our cow milk from Redmond Heritage Farms. UMLF: You have some really unique flavors, how do you come up with them? Corinne: My choices come from the type of cheeses I really like. I wanted to create an authentic product, unique to Utah Terroir. The flavors of the cheese itself comes from the biodiversity of our lands, our beautiful mountains, grass, flowers the cows and goats have access to in Utah. I choose milk that is not standardised, which gives a variety of different flavors throughout the seasons as the cow gets more fresh grass in the spring and fall. I get an unusual floral taste with a mix of banana and pear smell, this is really unique from Utah terroir. Adding truffles, the black diamond of gastronomy, to my brie gave a more mushroomy taste, that is very well like by gourmet palates. Silver Queen, goat cheese with ash, is an old recipe in France, they used the ash before the refrigeration to preserve the cheeses. The ash neutralized the surface and kept harmful insects away. Its coming from one of my favorite cheeses made in France, Sainte-Maure de Touraine and Selles sur Cher, the Silver Queen is my own version of my favorite goat cheeses. Utahn seem to like it to as it recently got Best of Show at the Utah Cheese Awards. UMLF: What are some of your favorite pairings with your cheese? Corinne: To help my customers with pairing each cheese label has its own pairing suggestions.
UMLF: You recently won big in the Utah Cheese Awards, tell us about that! Corrine: That is such an honor to get nominated Best Cheese of Utah just after 6 months of starting our company! We took home Best of Show for our Silver Queen Ash Goat Cheese, Bronze for our Treasure Brie, and a silver medal for our Hidden Treasure Brie with Truffle! Knowing Utahn loves what we do is the best rewards of our hard work. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Corinne: Our big challenge right now is to be able to produce enough as the demand is growing and get enough cash flow to buy more equipments, more milk to keep up with the demands. The SBA and the Utah Microloan Fund have been such an huge help in advising us and helping us with cash flow. Sometimes you get stuck in your own mind and need to brainstorming with fellow business people to find a solution, it makes such a difference to have access to these resources! UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Corinne: The UMLF has been an amazing help, from advise to get the cash flow I needed, it all brought a big peace of mind. I was so stressed out, getting lots of orders and seeing my cash flow going down waiting for my customers to pay, which take 30 days in the food business. The UMLF came up with a solution and got the help I needed in just a few days. Easy process, great knowledgeable people. I really recommend every new start-up to consult them. They will answer all the questions that keep you awake at night! UMLF: Tell us where we can find your products? Corinne: Our cheeses can be found in Harmon's and Caputo in Salt Lake City. In Park City we are available at The Market, Element kitchen, Provisions on Main, Copper Moose Farm. We are also in restaurants like the Montage, Hearth and Hill, Firewood, Courchevel, Boneyard, and Riverhorse. In Moab we are sold at the Moon Flower co-op store. A priori (Caputo distribution company) is distributing the cheeses in many restaurants in Utah Lastly caterings companies LUX catering, Ellie's kitchen, Sweet and Cheese and Maven Oak Creative Platters use our cheese as well. To visit Park City Creamery or to find a local stockist visit:
 This isn't a trick, the Loaf makes amazing organic, paleo and gluten-free breads and cookies that are definitely a treat! We bet you have tried a gluten-free treat in your lifetime that left a little something to be desired. Well not so with the delicious offerings from the Loaf! We sat down with owner and founder Johanna Dasteel to find out about why she started the Loaf and her philosophy behind why conscientious consumers deserve to enjoy tasty food!
UMLF: Johanna, tell us about your background and why you started the Loaf. Johanna: I started The Loaf because so many people I love were struggling to find organic, delicious food without grains, dairy, or other inflammatory ingredients. What began as baking for myself turned into baking for friends, family...and now for for all of my customers! Introducing The Loaf: the first and only certified organic & paleo bread company in the country. We go beyond paleo: you'll never find gums, yeast, psyllium husk, flax, additives, or preservatives. Treat yourself while loving your body! UMLF: You are both certified organic and gluten free. That’s awesome! Why is this important to the Loaf? Johanna: The Paleo way of eating prioritizes organic over conventional food, yet none of the paleo breads on the market were certified organic until I founded The Loaf. I was looking for products like mine in the grocery store and it turns out that a lot of other people were looking for the same thing! All of The Loaf’s products are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility so as to avoid cross-contamination with gluten-containing ingredients. Many, many of my customers have Celiac’s Disease and are very allergic to gluten. So, producing our products in a dedicated facility is critical for our customers. UMLF: Every business has its highs and lows. Tell us about a challenge you faced as a small business owner and how you overcame it? Johanna: Great question! There are so many instances to choose from - it seems like I ride highs and lows day-to-day. Reaching my customer base has been a big, continuing challenge. You can put up a website and set up operations, but breaking through the Google SEO system and getting into stores is not as straight-forward as it may seem. In order to reach my customers, I stayed focus, incorporated the feedback of retail buyers I was pitching my products to, enlisted the services of marketing and advertising professionals, and pursued accounts with a dogged determination. I’ve even pinged buyers more than 20 times - emails, phone calls, office visits - before receiving a response or setting up an account . At some point, the buyers start coming to you, but you have to make a reputation for yourself and prove your concept and your sales before that happens. Persistence is crucial. UMLF: How do you believe the Utah Microloan Fund has helped you and your business? Johanna: UMLF came through with funding for me without which I wouldn’t have been able to finance the growth that my business needed at a critical time. I didn’t qualify for conventional business loans at the time and am incredibly grateful for the kind of funding that UMLF offers as well as their continued support and services. UMLF: Tell us where we can find your products? Johanna: Thanks for asking! You can find my products in Utah at Liberty Heights Fresh, Liberty Park Farmer's Market, Downtown Farmer's Market, Three Pines Coffee, The Market at Park City, Redmond Heritage Farm Stores, and Erewhon, a change of organic grocery stores in Los Angeles. You will soon be able to find us at HelloBulk Market in Salt Lake City and Whole Foods throughout the Rocky Mountain Region. You can also order our products through our website: www.theloafgrainfree.com. We ship nationwide! To buy online or to find a local stockist visit:
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