Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Hogan.
Hi Kyle, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Livia’s started as an original recipe of Livia Youngdahl using the timeless KEY3 ingredients of Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic. Originally intended for personal use as Livia was a great cook who loved to entertain others, Livia’s niece Susan Hogan helped mix the recipe when Livia lost her eyesight in her later years in life. With Livia’s blessing, Susan would mix extra “Livia’s” and would promote it at holiday bazaars and then farmers’ markets. Eventually, the word got out, and Lunds Byerly’s tracked us down to start selling Livia’s in stores. Additional retail and distribution developed from there where Livia’s is sold to consumers in all 50 United States via Amazon as well as national retail and distribution partners.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Managing inventory as we started was a challenge as the cost to produce at our modest levels was limiting.
Only having a single SKU business made it difficult to convince retailers to carry us as we did not have an assortment. Try to buy campaigns helped overcome this challenge and our belief in the simplicity of Livia’s as “your secret ingredient” helped convince buyers and meat markets.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Livia’s MN, Inc?
Livia’s is a single-item spice brand that is used in every kitchen, at every meal and every day. Our main objective is to create intrigue and awareness of our brand so get consumers to try Livia’s for the first time, as our conversion rates are significantly high. Our belief in our product making cooking easier and eating more enjoyable is shared by all Livia’s users. Our brand is known for being the “the go to” spice at every meal, as Livia’s makes the food taste better without overwhelming the original taste of the food.
We want our audience to know the history of Livia’s as a single-item business, that is so great on everything they will want to share it, too.
Our sales focus is based on igniting our users to help us share Livia’s while giving confidence to meat and fish counter managers to suggest Livia’s with any protein they sell.
Livia’s is available in a 24 oz food service jar where commercial kitchens and restaurants are starting to see the value of this consistent and many-use seasoning blend.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters the most to me is that we make sure our consumer knows that Livia’s is the go-to seasoning at every meal, designed to be used instead of salt and pepper; and that it is just not for a specific recipe or used as a trendy finishing salt.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.livias.com
- Instagram: Livias_seasoning
