We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wynn Austin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wynn below.

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

In 2016, I embarked on a healing health journey and had to work on cleaning up my diet. I scoured the nutritional panels in the Asian aisle, and discovered that all the sauces I loved had tons of sugar, gluten, and preservatives. I couldn’t believe the massive void in the marketplace for Asian food products that had clean ingredients and no added sugar.

With the increasing demand for Asian inspired food, I knew I couldn’t be the only one in search of a healthier option.

In my kitchen, I conjured up the very first batch of my Saté Sauce, which is inspired by a Vietnamese sauce that I grew up eating. I made it with all-natural, real ingredients, without sugar, soy, or gluten. It became a huge hit amongst my friends. In 2019, I decided to take a leap of faith and Wynn’s Kitchen was born.

Wynn’s Kitchen, we are on a mission to rethink the Asian food aisle. We imagine a line of Asian food items, sauces, & condiments that have simple and REAL ingredients, without all the sugar, gluten and artificial crap. We strive to recreate your favorite Asian food products that not only tastes better, but is BETTER FOR YOU!

Our customers are health conscious and care about quality ingredients and what they put in their bodies.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Not only have I never had any professional culinary training, I have no idea how to start a food business., or where to start. At first I started looking into commercial kitchens and the certifications and costs to make my own product. But I realized that was a business model that was not going to work for me. At the time I had a wedding planning business and my daughters were really young.

Through my research online, I learned about co-packing and knew that it was the way that I wanted to go, IF I am able to make this side hustle of mine into a real business. It sounded great, but finding a co-packer was very challenging. Most co-packers required a minimum of 8,000 jars to start, which was not feasible to me at the time. It took me 3 years to find a small company in San Diego to help me bring my product into a marketable product. They helped me reformulate the recipe to make it shelf life stable without any artificial ingredients.

Manufacturing can be difficult part, because it’s always changing. With my first co-packer, I learned a lot from the type of lid that worked best. In the beginning, we had leaking issues when the items were shipped. Those issues would keep me up at night! After a year and half, I had to find a new co-packer and after 6 months running out of product, I finally found a co-packer that has the equipment that can help me scale up my production but allows me to order the quantity that works for my company.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

My favorite story is how I landed my first retail store. At the time, I had no idea what a buyer is, or how things work. I didn’t know what distribution works, or that there were brokers.

One of my favorite grocery stores is Seaside Market in Cardiff, and I always imagined my saté sauce being on their shelves. So, after I got my first official batch of sauce from my co-packer, I drove over to Seaside Market and asked for the person in charge of ordering products for their shelves.

I pitched to him right in the ethnic aisle and handed him a jar of sauce. I quickly asked for his email and typed it in my phone. I didn’t have any marketing materials, or a sale sheet or anything.

I couldn’t believe that a week later, he called and said they would give it a try. I came back and dropped off a whole case of 12 jars. Another week went by, and I took my daughters to the market with me. I didn’t think they would put it out yet, but as we walked up the aisle, I got to see my product, that I created in the middle of the night in my home kitchen sitting on the shelves of one of my favorite grocery stores.

It was a dream come true moment for me, and I am so happy that I got to experience that with my daughters.

What sort of legacy are you hoping to build? 

The legacy that I’m hoping to build is by educating consumers that they don’t have to settle for poor quality ingredients. They can have the flavors of the Asian dishes that they love by making changes to the products they use and the quality of ingredients. I’m looking to disrupt the Asian Food Aisle with better for you condiments, sauces, and food products that tastes authentic and have ingredients that are good for you. I also love connecting with people and connecting people with one another. I do my best to contribute and give back whenever I can, to whoever I can. If I was able to inspire just one person in my lifetime to go after their passion or their dream, then my legacy is complete.

What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for? I think that people will say that I’m a very passionate person. I am willing to take the risk and go against the grain for whatever I believe in, whether it’s in my personal life or in business. I hope to be remembered for my food that I’ve shared. Whether it’s through my food products, recipes, or if I’ve been honored to cook for someone. Food and cooking a nice meal to share with my friends and family is how I show my love.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wynnskitchen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wynnskitchen/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wynnskitchen
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynnaustin
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeLBP-GinjRe9tgbzg0uZRg