We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Denise Ray a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Denise, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
Mama Ray’s Kitchen was started in 2018. I was a hairstylist for over 30 years, so starting a spice business was something I knew nothing about. For the first two years I did mostly farmers markets and boutique style vendor events. I was just starting to get my Spice Rubs in a few local grocery stores and produce stands when the pandemic shutdown began. Many people were shopping online, so that was my focus for a while. I was so convinced it was going to be huge for me, but I was wrong. I spent so much money on social media “experts” for marketing, photo shoots and more. I did not get any sales from this effort. I would not do that again.
My wonderful husband, who is an amazing salesman, kept telling me that I needed POD, points of distribution. It just seemed daunting to me to have to prospect so many stores and pound the pavement to get my products on the shelves. And to be honest, I was not confident enough to think customers would go for it in such a capacity that they do now!
I have so many incredible mentors, friends and family that reminded me that the product is very good. So, as afraid as I was to cold call, walk in to stores, apply to big box stores, I got up one day , made my list and went for it. First I got into over 20 local stores. I decided I wanted to go bigger so I went through the long process of applying to get in to Raley’s grocery stores. After almost a year, I was accepted. Mama Ray’s is now in 22 Raley’s, and I am working on getting into all of their stores, 121 in all.
If I did not spend so much time fantasizing about being a big online success, I would imagine that my products would be in 100 stores by now, which is my next goal.
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.
At Mama Ray’s Kitchen, we are committed to selling the freshest, highest quality, naturally grown herbs and spices. Mama Ray’s Kitchen was created by founder, Denise Ray, to honor the memory of her mother, Diane Ray. Diane was an accomplished caterer, an amazing cook, and author of a family cookbook that has been enjoyed by many!
Our first product, Mama Ray’s Original Rub was born, which was inspired by a recipe of Mama Ray. Our family would put our spice rub in little jars and pass out for Christmas presents.
It was a well received gift which had our family and friends asking for more!
Our spice rubs and blends are filler and preservative free. They are hand jarred with love and care.
Mama Ray’s Kitchen also sponsors a weekly cooking segment with Chef Chapin-Reno Recipes on Kolo8 news. He using our products almost weekly and it has boosted our sales in the stores. We were also featured in the Reno-Tahoe Edible Cooks magazine. I say be bold and ask for these opportunites. You might be surprised who says yes!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
As I mentioned earlier, I was a hairstylist for many years. I became very sick and allergic to the chemicals in the hair color and was forced to end my career. I knew I wanted to do something that would get me excited, and that is food. I am so happy to be working in this industry.
In addition to my spices, I also do food demonstrations and tastings for private parties. Of course I use all my rubs and blends and love teaching people on different ways to use the product. An example would be: try the poultry rub on seafood, it has lemon peel. Or the steak rub to make carrot fries. Get creative, I say!
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
Yes I do! In addition to selling on my site, mamarayskitchen.com, I sell on Amazon, Walmart, Ebay, Etsy and many other online platforms. I include a hand written note and a card telling our story, to each customer. I had a mentor that recommended I ship my products out directly, as opposed to sending to a warehouse and letting them bag and ship, to keep quality control. I enjoy this personal touch.
Contact Info:
- Website: mamarayskitchen.com
- Instagram: @mamarayskitchen
- Facebook: @mamarayskitchen