Cajun Okra Gumbo
Serve this flavorful stew with brown rice and a tossed salad for a hearty, veggie-packed dinner.
Fresh Jax: The Spice of Life
Jason and Hillary McDonald started FreshJax in 2011 and they have been handcrafting gourmet spice blends ever since. Their business mission is to use healthy food and heart-centered yoga to develop and nurture the seeds of self love through full lifestyle transformation from the inside out. Jason, FreshJax President & CEO, was inspired by his passion for healthy living and left behind a successful career in the commercial lighting industry to start FreshJax. The business is a way for him to share health and happiness with those around him and he continues to prove that healthy can be fun and delicious! Co-founder Hillary is the Yoga Director, and hopes to create a sense of joy, happiness and well-being in others by sharing the gift of yoga through classes and workshops.
Tell us about your experience at the Riverside Arts Market and how that was an incubator for your business.
At RAM we were welcomed into a community of small business owners who all support one another. Being there helped us to start small and learn from our customers how to grow and expand what we offer. Buyers from local grocery stores found us a RA and got to sample our products, which paved the way for placing FreshJax items on their shelves.
You are known for your spice blends - what are your most popular blends? Where do you get your culinary inspirations?
Our most popular spice blends are Grill Master and Maple Cinamon. Grill Master is awesome on proteins and veggies, full of flavor and easy to use. Maple cinnamon goes great with oatmeal, pancakes, smoothies and even ice cream!
We're inspired by our customers. They tell us what they love to cook and how spice blends can make preparing meals easier for them. Then we get to work in the kitchen creafting the 37 unique blends we offer.
Where do you source your ingredients?
All of our ingredients are sourced with the utmost care. They must meet our high standards of being pure and organic, gluten-free non-GMO, non-irradiated, no fillers and no MSG.
Do you sell to a national audience? If so, how are you scaling your business?
We sell nationally through our website Freshjax.com. There, customers can select from our full line of spice blends and gift sets.
How do you build an effective brand identity that works both locally as well as outside of this region?
Building a brand is all about human connections. People would much rather shop with someone they can get to know, rather than an anonymous business. We like to connect with our customers in a genuine way, whether that is in person or online.
Want to learn more about spice blends made locally by Hillary and Jason? Visit their website at www.freshjax.com
Recipes from Fresh Jax
Cajun Okra Gumbo
Serve this flavorful stew with brown rice and a tossed salad for a hearty, veggie-packed dinner.
Creamy Eggplant Dip
Add this to your next get-together menu. It’s a delectable vegan dip that everyone will love!
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Add this to your next get-together menu. It’s a delectable vegan dip that everyone will love!