Mingle Seasoning creates a gravy with healthier ingredients launches into Coles

A former marketing executive who is now a business owner developed a “healthy” gravy that is now stocked at Coles and has sold over 17,000 cans in its first month alone.

Jordyn Evans, from Melbourne, started Mingle Seasoning at the age of 24 from her family’s kitchen after quitting her job, selling her car and putting all her savings into the business.

Since then, the now 30-year-old told FEMAIL that the brand has expanded from the spice category and launched a delicious gravy free of “nasty” ingredients.

In 2020, Jordyn closed a massive $1 million deal with Coles, followed by a $2 million deal with Woolworths the following year, with the herbal products now stocked in more than 2,000 supermarkets across Australia.

Mingle also sold more than $76,000 worth of gravy in Coles in its first month of launch.

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The young food entrepreneur dubbed the Australian ‘spice girl’ said her father Glenn was her biggest inspiration in developing the gravy.

“Daddy’s the biggest gravy fan, he puts it on everything – even his salad!” she said with a laugh, adding that there was always a gravy pot on the family table.

When Jordyn went shopping for gravy at the grocery store a few years ago, she noticed a range of “unnecessary” ingredients were being used and acted quickly to create a better alternative.

“Other brands contain unnecessary ingredients like milk protein, vegetable oil and drink bleach, and I said to myself ‘why should you use this?'”

With a multitude of other products already on the shelves, Jordyn had to develop the perfect recipe to get noticed – and frankly, it worked.

The gravy is currently only available at Coles and all seasonings are available at Coles and Woolworths.

The idea to start her own range of spices came about five years ago when she noticed the high salt and sugar content, preservatives and hidden artificial ingredients on the supermarket products while cooking.

“I found that the Moroccan seasoning I was using had a whole host of questionably nasty ingredients in it, so I threw it in the trash,” she said.

“I went to the grocery store to find a better herbal alternative, but I couldn’t. I was standing in the herb and spice aisle and noticed that all the brands looked the same and to me were bland and without personality.

“This was my light bulb moment where I had the vision to create a new healthy flavor brand that was fun, had personality and got people excited to cook again.”

She moved back in with her parents so she could work on her brand in their kitchen. She eventually moved into a commercial kitchen – and as the business grew, they found a manufacturer in Melbourne that now does all spice mixes.

Jordyn said she wanted to create a “healthy, all-natural” herbal range without compromising on taste.

Another new product that has quickly become a customer favorite is the ‘Everything Bagel’ seasoning – inspired by the American bagel and containing key ingredients such as onion, garlic and toasted sesame.

“I posted a TikTok video about the product and it kicked off right away, which was a huge shock,” Jordyn said.

“Sales went up 85 percent and all stores sold out after posting one video — it was remarkable.”

She also recalled the moment she received a call in 2020 from a Coles buyer to discuss the huge supermarket deal.

“I started crying because there is a lot of sacrifice involved in running a small business and it was nice to know that people believed in the brand,” Jordyn said.

But the brand was not an immediate success, as she did not pay herself a salary during the first three excruciating years of starting her business.

“It definitely got tough at the end of those three years when money got tighter and my stress levels increased,” she said.

“I put everything in this spice shop while my friends bought houses.”

While working endlessly to get the company off the ground after investing $40,000 out of pocket, Jordyn started out as a one-man band.

“I was the store delivery boy, the promotion girl in the store giving away samples, and everything in between… I struggled to shut down and have a life outside of Mingle,” she said.

Today, Mingle has six employees and Jordyn has learned to “set boundaries” for herself so she doesn’t work around the clock.

“I take weekends off and still see my friends, but not as often as I used to. Dating is also a challenge because my focus is solely on the brand,” she said.

She also recently moved out of the house at the age of 30 to move closer to the warehouse.

Jordyn hopes her humble success story inspires others to believe in their dreams and work to bring ideas to life.

‘I really want to show people that you can make your dreams come true; I’m just an average Australian woman who sold her car, moved home and put my savings into this, I’m not special,” she said.

“If you’re passionate, if you push, it’s possible. And it’s hard, but it’s so worth it.’