Every cook’s secret weapon, if they were to divulge this information to you, would be what spices and seasonings they use to flavor their meals.
Yes, seasonings are more important than the pots and pans and all of the fancy gadgets and cookware that actually prepare the food. Because what good is a meal, if that meal is a bland one?
This thought process is what sparked Monique and Everett Spain’s spice business since they both loved to cook and oftentimes when they cooked for friends and family, they’d ask how certain meals were prepared and seasoned. They had no problem sharing the details of how their meals were made, and thus inadvertently Spain’s Spice was born.
Over 20 years of Naval service between the two of them took them all around the world. They experienced the vibrant cultures of the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Sudanese, Indonesian, Polynesian, American Samoan, Australian, and so many others, which they drew additional inspiration from.
“Neither of our careers were remotely close to being culinary but we both loved to cook and watch others enjoy our foods,” says Monique Spain.
“For years friends, family, neighbors, and strangers would say ‘you guys should start a food service business’ and that’s when we knew we had something special.”
After praying about it and investing most of their savings, the Spains launched Spain’s Smokehouse Catering and quickly building a solid customer base.
“Our largest clients were Hospitals, Clinics, Dental Offices, and Schools. They would constantly ask how the foods were seasoned to make them taste so good,” Everett Spain adds.
So they “put it in a bottle” and then launched Spain’s Spices.
“Although we are very aware the food industry was nearly saturated with spices, we felt confident our blends were different. Our seasonings were developed around a specific flavor profile that didn’t exist on any grocery store shelf that we’ve come across.”
The Spain’s Spice business began in the Spain’s kitchen, with them mixing herbs in a bowl which initially included sugar and higher sodium content. Many of their clinical clients and others began asking if it were possible to create the same great tasting meals with less or no sugar and lower sodium content.
“So out came the sugar and we lowered the sodium nearly 50%. Naturally, this scared the crap out of us because it completely changed the flavor profile of the blends.”
They consulted local industry spice and blending professionals to assist with the study of herbs and spices and creating recipe prototypes before smartly investing and settling on a set of healthy blends.
“We prayed and God did what he always does and before we knew it, we had a consistent following. People absolutely loved our seasonings! The products did so well, we expanded the line by adding new flavors, and closed our Catering company.”
