ARTICLE / THE MAKING OF... SERIES
The making of...
Mingle Seasoning.
It goes without saying that most start-ups are fuelled by a healthy mix of passion and purpose. However, in Mingle Seasoning founder Jordyn Evans’ experience, success in the condiments category has also been helped by working smartly with industry partners (such as FMCG/CPG retail specialists Ranged) who’ve expedited the brand’s growth and informed Jordyn on her founder journey. Oh, having a healthy, tasty product range that makes meals sing has also been a massive plus.
Series
The making of... Series
Tags
Branding, brand, FMCG, CPG, coles, scaling, scaleup, pantryself, founder, marketers, bootstrapping
Welcome to The making of... blog series, where we dive into the stories behind the scenes of extraordinary founders and their brands. To kick things off, can you share some background on who you are and where you've been?
Hey there! I’m Jordyn, the founder of Mingle Seasoning. Since 2016, we’ve been shaking things up in the kitchen by introducing a fun, vibrant, and healthier alternative to the usual pantry staples. Mingle offers a wide range of bold, flavour-packed, healthy condiments, including seasonings, recipe bases, sauces, and gravies. We're here to prove that you can enjoy delicious flavours without compromise.
Growing up, I was inspired by my father and grandfather who both ran their own small businesses. This family background ignited my entrepreneurial spirit. I began my career as a Marketing Manager at CAPI, where I honed my passion for natural, wholesome products. After four years there, ready for a new challenge, I struck out on my own and launched Mingle at the age of 25. Four years into my journey, I secured business partners who are experts in retail, a company called Ranged, to help navigate the retail landscape and scale our market presence.
Jordyn Evans, founder of Mingle Seasoning
Family inspiration often sparks the birth of new and innovative ideas. In the case of Mingle Seasoning, how did you come up with the concept?
The idea for Mingle sparked during a routine meal prep session. I was using a commercial seasoning and for the first time, I really looked at the ingredients. I was shocked to find added sugars, artificial ingredients, unnecessary flours to bulk out the blend, high amounts of sodium, and refined vegetable oils. Disappointed by the lack of healthy options in the supermarket and uninspired by the heritage brands, I saw an opportunity to create a pantry brand that was not only healthier but also vibrant and fun—a brand that could really spice up the kitchen!
Like many other founders, your spark came from a desire to create something better… in the development process, what research did you do to arrive at what you've got now? How did you test your product-market fit?
Our journey began with an Instagram account and a direct-to-consumer website to build community and test market acceptance. After establishing a strong online presence, we expanded to retail, starting with trials in a handful of Coles and Woolworths stores, which I personally delivered to on weekends. The strong sales validated our product-market fit and paved the way for scaling.
Interacting with customers early on using what are essentially free tools is smart. What were the first iterations of your packaging like?
In the beginning, I designed our packaging myself using Illustrator and crafted all the copy. We launched with big bottles targeting meal preppers, featuring bright colours and loads of personality. Initially, each seasoning even had its own girl’s name to personify them, though we streamlined this for retail to cater to broader consumer preferences.
As a hands-on founder, your involvement in every aspect of Mingle Seasoning's development speaks volumes about your dedication. Now, about the financial side of things, how did you initially fund Mingle?
The initial funding for Mingle came from selling my car and using $40,000 of my savings. From that point on, we’ve been bootstrapping, growing organically through reinvestment of our profits.
Creating a memorable and impactful brand is often filled with twists and turns. Tell us about the evolution of Mingle Seasoning’s brand identity, and the milestones that led to its current look and feel?
Mingle’s branding journey has been a vibrant evolution over the past eight years. Starting from scratch, I initially took on all the creative roles but as our presence grew, so did our branding sophistication. We transitioned from our original big bottles to more practical packaging suited for retail shelves. Working with branding agency, Date Of Birth on what would be phase two of the rollout before finessing the identity in-house, each iteration was aimed at maintaining our youthful, colourful appeal while ensuring the product stood out and spoke to a millennial audience. This evolution has been pivotal in maintaining our distinctive, engaging presence in a competitive market.
How about marketing? What have you found most effective in scaling the brand and spreading the word?
Raising awareness for Mingle has largely been through a mix of social media engagement and strategic public relations. Our community online has been incredibly active, which speaks volumes about the brand’s resonance. We've also taken bold steps like our recent Mexican range launch at Coles, capitalising on the existing fame of the world-famous Taco celebrity Mia, previously a competitor's ambassador for a huge conglomerate. By bringing Mia on board, we leveraged her well-established appeal to boost awareness significantly, which landed us on morning TV. This, along with our first television campaign, marked a major step in scaling our brand and reaching more households.
Given Mingle’s impressive growth, what do you see as the most significant hurdles on the horizon? How do you plan to navigate these challenges to continue scaling the brand?
Looking ahead, our mission to have a Mingle product in every Australian pantry sets a high bar for innovation and creativity, especially as we continue to manage the business on a bootstrapped budget. This pushes us to think outside the box and be resourceful without compromising on our core values or product quality. Equally challenging is the development of our team. As we grow, I am continuously evolving as a leader to better empower and motivate our team. Building a supportive environment where team members are empowered to take initiative and drive the Mingle mission forward is essential. This involves refining my leadership skills to foster a culture where innovation flourishes and team members feel genuinely invested in our collective success.
Drawing from your experience in leading Mingle Seasoning's success, what words of wisdom would you share with other founders about to embark on their own venture?
Starting your own business is a team sport. Surround yourself with people who inspire and push you to be better. Early on, joining accelerator and incubator programs not only helped with funding but also provided a network of peers facing similar challenges. These relationships and experiences are invaluable as you navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship.
