Melbourne entrepreneur behind Mingle Seasoning shares her humble beginnings
- Replies 5
At 24 years old, Jordyn Evans started a seasoning empire that is now giving the big guys a run for their money. Here’s the story of how she turned her empty savings into a $3 million deal.
Jordyn wanted to shake things up in the spice aisle with a healthy seasoning product that was also fun, colourful, and made her excited to cook. Photo from Mingle Seasoning via Brisbanista.
It was an average Sunday when Jordyn Evans’ life changed forever.
She was standing in the kitchen cooking a dish when she noticed something on the ingredients list of her favourite Moroccan seasoning.
“I never really thought twice about what was in my seasonings, though, until this particular Sunday. I started looking at the ingredients list and the order of ingredients,” she recalled.
“I discovered that the first ingredient in my Moroccan seasoning was salt and the second most prevalent was flour. These two ingredients I consider ‘cheap fillers’ and are usually added to bulk up the blend to save costs.”
“The other thing that shocked me about the Moroccan seasoning was it had chicken flavour in it and sugar,” she said.
But her deep dive didn’t end with the Moroccan seasoning; she stormed back to her pantry and picked up her bottle of Garlic and Herb seasoning.
“It was 61 per cent salt! No wonder I was thirsty after using this seasoning!”
“I went down to the supermarket to try and find a better option but couldn’t. It was at that point where I was a frustrated customer, wanting a better option,” said Jordyn.
“I started to question if these ingredients were necessary to achieve the great flavour and if a better option could be created without these ingredients.”
“I thought there were surely other people like me who wanted better flavour options. And it turns out, I was correct.”
Jordyn was 24 when she made the life-changing decision of quitting her job of three years and pouring all of her savings into building a seasoning business.
Jordyn Evans sold her car and moved back home to start her spice business. Photos from 7NEWS.
To kick start her dream, Jordyn had to use all of her savings and even had to sell her Toyota Corolla. Then, she quit her job and moved back home to focus on the business.
There in her parents’ kitchen, she began cooking up a multi-million dollar spice business.
“Our house smelt like cumin and paprika!” said the entrepreneur.
“Every family member has helped me fill spices, blend spices, pack boxes- especially in those early days.”
“Before moving to a manufacturer, my mum would work eight-hour days blending and filling spices alongside me, not wanting to be paid a cent. That woman blows me away, and I will be forever grateful.”
Jordyn also admitted to filling up quite a few roles herself, such as the CEO, marketer, promotion girl, cook, pick-packer, and even the delivery driver.
The move into the sauce aisle was also a massive passion project of Jordyn’s. Photo from Mingle Seasoning.
Initially, Jordyn launched an e-commerce website, and along with a solid social media presence, it helped her build a direct relationship with her customers. And then, two years later, she transitioned into retail, knowing there was already a strong customer base and demand for the product.
In 2020, her determination paid off when she signed a $1 million contract with supermarket giant Coles. And then this year, she signed a $2 million deal with competitor Woolworths.
Jordyn confesses that everything that happened is still a huge pinch-me moment for her.
Now, the Mingle company has a team of six people, and Jordyn has business partners whom she described as “huge pillars of support”.
Jordyn is now 29 years old, but she has never forgotten her beginnings. She even admitted that her days as a delivery driver aren’t over yet.
“I still have the van, still do some deliveries here and there, and still smell like paprika and garlic often!” said the businesswoman while laughing.
.png){kind=icon}
