Bacon Salt brings a revolution to condiments
Published: Thursday, August 23, 2007 9:33 PM CDT
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Invented by THS grad; poised to take over the world
By Reilly Capps
Move over, printing press. Step aside, sliced bread. Hand over the crown, silicone chip.
A 1997 Telluride High School grad has created what’s been called “the greatest thing ever invented.”
Bacon Salt.
It’s taking over where regular salt leaves off, and it’s showing up all over the country.
Like so many good things, this one got its start at Fat Alley.
The Esch brothers, Chris and Justin, love the Mitch Morgan: a shot of bourbon with a bacon chaser.
They order it all the time, whenever the family’s back in town. Even at a Jewish wedding (conservative, kosher), they were singing the praises of the Mitch Morgan.
The next day, the Esch brothers were at breakfast, 6 a.m., and Justin was sitting with a piece of bacon in one hand and a salt shaker in the other hand. It was an early morning epiphany.
“I love Bacon …. I love Salt …. Salt … Bacon … Bacon …. Salt …. Bacon Salt!”
For awhile, it was just a joke between the brothers, until Justin, who now lives in Seattle, mentioned it to a co-worker at a tech company.
With little more than a word, Justin Esch had a 50/50 partner, Dave Lefkow, and they were determined to make it happen.
Six months later, Bacon Salt existed. Original, Hickory and Peppered Bacon Salt. Zero fat, zero calories, lower sodium, kosher, vegetarian, bacon-in-a-bottle.
Seven months later, it’s everywhere.
The front of the MSN Web site. Radio shows. The Chicago Tribune (“this could revolutionize our lives”). PC Gamer Magazine, (PC Gamer Magazine?)
With virtually no advertising budget, they sold 8,000 jars to people in 18 countries, from Japan to Finland, in just four weeks.
And Esch has the best problem any businessman could possibly hope for: filling all the orders that have come pouring in.
“We don’t have enough of it to sell. We’re worried,” Esch says. “It would fold the company if we got 50,000 orders in one week.”
Esch has been talking to some very big names in the world of grocery stores, talking about distributing his product to thousands, tens of thousands of stores.
“Everybody’s interested,” Esch says. “We never anticipated this level of response.”
It’s already profitable. Friday is the last day Esch will work at the tech company (jobster.com). Now it’s Bacon Salt all the time. They have an office, storage space and an employee starting Monday. Esch is his own boss.
“It’s a cross between terrifying and really cool,” Esch says.
The initial response has ranged from over-the-top positive to insanely enthusiastic.
To judge from blog entries, much of America is ready to roll around in Bacon Salt. Ready to build Bacon Salt swimming pools. Ready to shoot Bacon Salt directly into their veins.
Quotes from the blogosphere: “the greatest new condiment idea ever” … “Is it magic?” … “surprisingly, it even works for diaper rash. Don’t ask how I found out” … “save the pigs, eat the salt” … “It is almost like a crack addiction” … “I can’t cook without it.”
Tuna fish. Popcorn. Corn on the cob. Eggs. Steak. Okra.
“It’s bacon goodness with none of the badness,” said Chris Esch, who lives in Telluride. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
What remains to be seen is whether the product is just a novelty, or if people will continue to use it every day.
Justin Esch says the company is working on other ideas: ranch-flavored, Cajun, Wasabi, Jalapeno.
The company says that it’s about two months away from an all-natural version, which is good news for organic types.
But the non-natural version really tastes good. For the past few days, I have been sitting at my desk, pouring tiny handfuls of Hickory-flavored Bacon Salt into my hand, and snarfing it a la carte. My co-workers think I have a problem. I do. I can’t stop eating Bacon Salt.
