We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chef Ky. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chef Ky below.
Hi Chef Ky, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Just Good flavor Company was created for my family first. After a few very important family member were diagnosed with Cancer, Diabetes and High Cholesterol, I decided to clean up our food. The amount of toxins that we were consuming was alarming. We ate out a lot, wasn’t conscious of our sodium and didn’t read food labels. 13 years ago I cleaned out my pantry and never looked back. One day when I reached in my seasoning cabinet and I paused and thought to read the label for the first time. I was surprised to read many of the same things I was trying to clean out of our food was in the seasonings we were using. So I decided to take the medicinal whole spice mix that I was using to help our family health concerns and blend it with other herbs to make it taste good. I used it on everything. I came up with a few other flavors still using my initial medicinal blend- just to keep it versatile. Friend and family for about a year asked me for Ziploc bags of the blend. After every party, they wanted to take food and the spice blend home. I will never forget the day a friend came to my house and offered to pay for a bag of seasoning. She asked me to seriously think about selling. That was in 2016. I am sure you want to know how we came up with the name Just Good Flavor Company- My son! I asked my son Justice while he was eating “What do you think?”. He said “It’s Just Good!”. Plain simple and to the point.
Our spices are still as clean as the day I started making them- no dies, no artificial flavor, no salt, no fillers, and no anti clumping agents. In 2023 I committed to making sure that my prices remained affordable. Against all opinions, I dropped my prices. Even though a portion of sales go into feeding the unhoused, in this economy I want more people to have access to better clean products. I switched my packaging back to a product that is 100% recyclable. I want to stay a brand that is health conscious and environmentally friendly.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a classically trained chef, but I have been cooking since I was a young child. During my childhood, my father was a Pastor, was a Chaplin and a cook in the military as a young man. My grandmothers and aunts were farmers and cooks, so food is in my heart. I remember my last year in college; I went to stay with my grandmother during the summer. I came home from work at midnight, and my grandmother pulled a plate covered in foiled from the refrigerator. I remember telling her that it was fine, she didn’t have to feed me so late. She told me to sit down. I watched as she uncovered the plate and slid the mashed potatoes into a small pot with milk and butter. She placed the chicken back into the oven to warm, she didn’t believe in microwaves. I still tear up when I relive that day because she showed me something so important. Every component on that plate was handled with care, and she wanted me to have it the way she intended to serve it. I leaned from all of my Ancestors that food is a way to communicate. I have used the gift that they gave me to provide food and supplies to shelters and community centers for many years. Just Good Flavor and all of our branch companies (Chef’s K.I.S.S- Kitchen Independence Support Service, and Chef Ky) will always be a community service brand hoping to make a difference.
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
Just Good Flavor Company has been manufacturing spices for 10 years now. At one point I attempted to go to a Copacker. I was renting a commercial space to store and blend my spices. I grew from once a week to an everyday operation that needed to find my own location. There are benefits to a copacker. Copackers handle all of your heavy labor so you focus on sales and marketing. At that time I couldn’t find a packer who respected my commitment to no additives. Staying true to my brand was first. I also realized that I would have 10k units boxed and ready to sell in inventory sitting and I didn’t want that either. I wanted people to know that their product was never older that two weeks. I remember that co packer being shocked that I mixed that spice sample myself. I told them that it took years of practice, but I do ok. I learned how to use commercial mixes and grinders. I operated 3 dehydrators every day. The quality of my product came from my personal touch.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I always tell people to build pivots as you go. You never know what life has in front of you so try to the best of your ability to think ahead. I temporarily closed my business to help a family member pursue their lifelong dream hoping that they would help me get back up and running. They told me that my business was not what they had in mind for their life going forward. It takes a lot of trust to close a brick and mortar, 4 farmers markets, restaurant partnerships and two trade show booths for someone. This level of pain was just below the devastation of losing my mother. Seeing my business in boxes was traumatizing. Making sure I graduated culinary school was a must, I can’t go from running a major operation to looking for a job. I tried everything to cope with my deteriorating mental health. I stopped eating, I stopped taking my medication, I started drinking. Yet a tiny little light of faith still existed and managed to get me through culinary school with a 4.0 and honors. One sober evening I remembered the small pivots I had built along the way and I started baking and cooking. The oven baked foods I made and packed for my kids, I started offering that to local customers. I started putting my face back on social media after being gone for over a year.
I know you are wondering, how do you build a pivot as you go. Look at your product and ask it “What else could I do with you”. Be serious and ask it. Write the answers down and make something make sense. Think of it as an escape plan. Not saying you are planning for failure, absolutely not. This is you creating value by the way you will continue to survive. Hold on with 3 fingers if you have to, but don’t let go.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://justgoodflavorcompany.com
- Instagram: @Justgoodflavorcompany
Image Credits
Chef Ky Archinard
Amber Peters