Written by Jason Logsdon
As a cook, you probably use spices when you are cooking, and most recipes include favorite spice mixes of your own. Your readers respect the spices you recommend, and many of them use them on their own. However, most food bloggers don't think about creating their own blends and selling them.
It is actually a pretty easy process to have spices bottled with your name and logo on it. It's called "white-labeling" or "private labeling", and is an effective way to put out a product. A spice company will have 10, 20 or 30 different blends that you can try out. You pick the one you like and then wrap it in your logo and branding.
We've looked into several online sellers, and it's generally $4 to $5 per 4oz bottle, with a minimum order of 30-50 bottles. Most "custom" spices can be sold for $9 to $15, leaving you a nice profit after shipping.
Obviously, if you are a BBQ blogger and you are always preaching how your custom BBQ rub is the only way to go, this might not work well for you because you are using the blends that they come up with. But if you write about something like "quick and easy weeknight meals" or "healthy meals for the whole family", you can probably find several different blends that you really enjoy and would feel comfortable selling to your readers.
Many companies also do custom blends, but they are often much more expensive, and you need to purchase a larger inventory. So you better be certain there's a ton of demand for your fancy BBQ rub before you go that route.
There are numerous white-label spice companies that will allow you to sell spice blends under your own name. You have several options on the type of blends, from using ones that they already have created to making fully customized blends of your own creation. The more custom the blend is, the more expensive it is to create (and the more you have to buy upfront) but many of the non-custom blends are very affordable.
We looked extensively at non-custom blends to recommend for sous vide cooking and found several that would work for a wide range of food bloggers.
They have some pretty unique spice blends that are very flavorful and complex tasting. They sell 4oz jars for $4 per jar, with a minimum of 60 jars.
They have pretty standard spice blends, plus whole spices. They sell 48 4 oz. jars at $3 to $4 per jar, plus printing and shipping costs. With a minimum of 48 jars.
They had more limited flavors of spices, but were a little bit less expensive. They sell 30 jars at 8 oz., 5 oz. or 3.5 oz. sizes. The spices range from $5.50 to $3.50 per jar, plus shipping.
Most "fancy" spice blends are priced at $9 to $15, giving you a good $5 to $10 per jar you can sell, especially if you can find an existing blend of theirs that you really enjoy. Most custom blends are priced about the same per jar, but the minimum quantities are much higher.
If you have an niche that lends itself to use spice rubs or blends, then creating and selling your own branded versions can be a great way to tap into that need. You will often need to sell directly from your website, and handle the shipping, but it can be good to explore to help your income grow.
What type of spice mixes would your Fans enjoy? Let me know in the Makin Bacon Facebook Group or the comments below.
Hi, I'm Jason Logsdon! I'm an adventurous home cook and the head writer and photographer for Amazing Food Made Easy. I grew my income to 6-figures by focusing on serving my Fans by providing massive value, and I want to help you do the same.
