Cookin’ Good? No, Cookin’ WELL

07/27/2009
by Not listed

Visit any food show, and you’ll be surrounded by thousands of companies all vying to sell you something that they believe is special. After all, everyone has a favorite recipe from mom or grandma; why not turn that into a financial windfall, à la Famous Amos Cookies? But Cookwell & Company doesn’t base their success on products developed from some secret recipe found in their ancestor’s attic—instead, it’s based on actual taste, product uniqueness, quality ingredients, and a strong relationship with their retail partners, like HEB.

This formula has paid off handsomely for the owners. Only five years after starting their business in Will’s garage in Rollingwood, the company has seen distribution grow to 40 states, and from a single product to more than two dozen. Here’s some insight on who this neighborhood company is and how they got to where they are.

“Does the world really need another salsa?”

This was the question that Brion heard when he informed his boss of his intentions to leave his marketing job to start a food company with his two buddies from grade school. What the boss didn’t understand was that what Brion, Kyle, and Will had planned was more than just another food company. “We wanted to create truly unique products—products that weren’t currently on the shelf, from a taste and flavor perspective,” says Brion.

For instance, their Escabeche Salsa starts with onions, jalapeños, and carrots marinated in vinegar, and then they add garden-fresh tomatoes that have been fire roasted. “You won’t find another salsa on the shelf that goes through so much preparation, but we do this to get that fresh ‘kitchen taste’ consumers would get if they made it themselves,” says company chef Will. The reward for such due diligence in the kitchen has resulted in several accolades for their products, including a recent recognition from Real Simple magazine in their June 2009 edition.

Different is better.

With over 15 food companies in Central Texas producing and selling salad dressings, to truly distinguish yourself you have to create distinctive flavors. While so many companies latch onto the “ingredient of the month” or the “next superfruit,” Cookwell & Company subscribes to a different strategy. “We strive to develop products that will stand the test of time,” says Kyle. “We invest a lot in the research and development of our products and want them to be a staple in everyone’s kitchen for years to come.”

Coming up with uncommon, great-tasting flavors that have universal appeal might not be easy, but the partners at Cookwell & Company find inspiration in their everyday lives. “We got the idea for our Asian Ginger Vinaigrette from a visit to a Japanese steakhouse,” Will recalls. “We wondered why no one has ever replicated that one-of-a-kind salad dressing.” He also remembers the call he received from Brion while the latter was on a business trip: “He was in Florida, and called up going on and on about the best salad dressing he’s ever had, he couldn’t stop talking about it! So I knew a Watermelon Vinaigrette would be a flavor that would fit very well within the Cookwell cache of products.”

What it means to “Cookwell.”

For Cookwell, using premium ingredients has always been a key focus. That’s why the owners work tirelessly to find and source only the best fruits and vegetables. “We are so careful about what we put into our products that it makes it easy to stand behind them,” says Will. But quality ingredients are just the beginning; the owners of Cookwell & Company believe—not surprising, given their name—that cooking well is the key to living well.

“This is something that really consumes our thinking,” says Brion. “If we can help people cook well, we can bring back that cooking occasion that is so sorely missed in today’s rushed society.” Adds Kyle, “When I think of ‘living well,’ it’s about getting family and friends together, and what better way to do that than with food?” Doesn’t sound like Cookwell & Company is just another food company at all.

Source: Eat and Drink Austin