Starting their own business was “something we’d always wanted to do,” says Katie Porobic. She and business partner Audry Gavin own and operate June and Jo Spice Co., a small-batch spice blending company in Thunder Bay.
The two had met years ago working together at Tim Horton’s but that was the extent of their food industry experience. However, they decided to launch June and Jo after realizing that Porobic’s family recipe spice blend, created by her grandmother June, was really popular among friends and family and would make a great product.
The company makes and sells Texas Original, a chili powder-based spice blend, and Texas Crispy, a coating mix version of the Texas Original. The latter is available gluten-free as well. The flavour is bold but not spicy, Porobic says, and is beloved by children and adults alike.
Although Grandma June’s recipe was intended for Texas pork chops, Porobic and Gavin found that it could be used for a variety of proteins and veggies. Porobic also uses it in dips and soups, and says sprinkling it on popcorn has been a hit in her family.
The two launched their company in March 2020 and are now in more than 20 retail locations locally. “One of the first places we approached was George’s Market. We were nervous, but they welcomed us with open arms,” Porobic says. “They’ve been big promoters of our products.” In addition to selling the seasonings, George’s Market and Celebrations also sells beef jerky made on-site using the Texas Original blend.
Last month, the spice blends also made it into both Safeway locations in Thunder Bay, a big milestone for the new entrepreneurs. Porobic says they owe their success to the community. “People have been offering their mentorship and guidance along the way,” she says. “We’re so grateful for the support we had.”
For those who want to try the spice blend on takeout, Wildwoode Variety on Dawson Road uses it on wings, and as a seasoning on fries.
Porobic says their customers have been posting photos of cooking with the spice blend and tagging them on social media. “It inspires us to try different things,” she says gratefully. “A lot of how we use it are customer-inspired ideas.”
In the near future, June and Jo Spice Co will be going to local craft shows and have a presence at Intercity Shopping Centre over the holidays.
June and Jo Spice Co is still a home-based, two-person operation, with some help from family, but has grown much quicker than the owners expected. “It has become so much bigger than we hoped. We hadn’t planned to go into stores, we thought it would be a home-run business, do deliveries to customers.”
Porobic hopes that they will be able to move the company out of their homes and into a bricks and mortar location soon. “We have big dreams for this,” she says of the future. “We’re loving what we’re doing. It’s such a huge motivator.”
