Black Eagle woman, Renita’s Specialty Sauces, finds spice of life-Entrepreneur creates, sells specialty sauces

A toy show may seem like a strange place to find a booth selling mustard, but that’s part of the marketing success of Renita’s Specialty Sauces: unexpected, yet dependable.

By SUE CARLBOM
For The Tribune

"Exposure is important, but so is consistent visibility to make the public aware of what you have to offer and the fact that you’re in the area and your product is available for ongoing purchase and consumption," said Black Eagle resident and business owner Renita Thomas, 49.

Thomas started promoting her flavored mustards — original, jalapeno, cranberry crunch, garlic and horseradish — in April 2001. She was a cake decorator when complications from a routine operation on her hand forced her to quit that occupation.

Unable to work, Thomas suffered from depression and low self-esteem. After a few months, she pulled herself together and announced to her husband, Ron, that she was taking her mustard on the road.

In the beginning, she sold the product wherever she could. In January 2002, she contacted Suzie David, the director of the Small Business Development Center in Great Falls, who helped her assess the market. She also enrolled in the NxLeveL Entreprenurial Training Program, which helped her in her quest to develop a business plan and acquire funding through the Vocational Rehabiltation Program.

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Tips and advice:

# Be sure your family is 100 percent behind you and aware of how much will be required not only of you but also of them.

# Be sure you are ready for the physical and mental commitment.

# Be 110 percent confident in your product. You are the best spokesman for your company.

# Availability: In Great Falls, Renita’s Specialty Sauces are available at the Black Eagle Country Club, 2-J’s Produce, Great Falls Farmers Market, Best of Montana Store, two County Market locations, Van’s IGA, Ryan’s Wholesale Distributors, Mountain View Co-op and Coach Stop Trading Post.

Information:

# For information: Phone 452-0306 or e-mail [email protected].

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Today, just one year later, her product is available in 54 stores in three states.

"She’s an amazing woman with an excellent product," David said. "She started with a small business but has the potential for, and the ability to, manage the growth of her company."

Thomas started with a small amount of capital and told her husband she would give it three years to see if she could make it. She bought 300 pounds of mustard in Tennessee and started experimenting with different flavors. Her gross revenue doubled in 2002.

One of her biggest setbacks was a problem with the lids — they popped when transported at certain altitudes. When she went over Kings Hill with a truckload of mustard, it sounded like a popcorn popper.

After testing, the manufacturer determined Thomas had received faulty lids. The lids were replaced, and she was able to save the jars. The entire batch of mustard, however, had to be discarded.

"She’s dynamic and innovative," said Diana Fisher, the manager of the Applemill Restaurant. The Applemill was the first Great Falls business to stock Thomas’ products when she started producing commercially.

"When customers ask for hot mustard, we give them the flavor options," Fisher said. "We don’t sell the jars of mustard outright; we serve it as a condiment so when people ask if they can buy some, we refer them to one of the many places that sell her product."

A big source of encouragement, in addition to her husband and three grown daughters, has been Claire DelGuerra, the Cascade County Extension Officer. Thomas called her for guidance, and DelGuerra has since asked her to give demonstrations at various Extension meetings. Thomas also was asked to assist in producing a video for people planning on starting food production businesses.

Renita’s Specialty Sauces is a home business, but Thomas uses the facilities at the Black Eagle Country Club to make and package the mustards. To learn the technical side of producing commercially, she consulted with Stan Strom at the Montana Department of Health, performed research and studied numerous canning books.

Today, Renita’s Specialty Sauces are available in individual jars and gift packs. Daughter Misty helps package the product and man the trade show booth.

"I help fix the boxes for the gift packs," Misty said. "But basically my mom does almost the whole production by herself."

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20030123/localnews/834242.html