Oh the aroma, we caught Terri at Kitchen 242 experimenting with four new flavors for her gourmet sea salt collection. If the aroma is any indication of the taste, you are all in for a treat.
Terri Wolters, Owner of Salted Perfection started her business in the fall of 2021 and operated for the first few months under the Michigan Cottage Food Law selling at the Muskegon Farmers Market. She soon found out that in order to be able to take her business to the next level of her products being offered in retail outlets she would need to find a commercial kitchen and to obtain her food license to make that happen. She quickly researched, went through the process and was up and running out of Kitchen 242 by March of 2022.
What started Terri on this path of making and offering gourmet flavor infused sea salts you might wonder? Terri and her husband David had a recipe they were working with that called for smoked salt and after searching numerous outlets and not finding what they needed it gave Terri the idea that since it was so difficult to locate that maybe it might be a good idea to start making it herself which then led to creating her business. 
Salted Perfection now has 18 flavors of garnishing or finishing salts. The very first one Terri created was Applewood Smoked and that remains one of her most popular flavors.
For those of us that don’t know much about salts: Sea Salt is mineral-rich and will vary in color and flavor depending on where it was harvested. 
It is best used as a finishing salt because it is delicate and crunchy. A small amount of finishing salt can go a long way and best used after your food is cooked.
When asked about some of the challenges of starting your own business and how she overcame them she shared several examples: “Don’t think you know it all” Terri mentioned. Meaning you can’t be an expert at everything and some of her best innovations have come from talking about her ideas with family and friends. Her husband has also been a great inspiration and fortunately has technology skills that have helped her with graphics, bar code labeling and so many other things. Figuring out the packaging of a product can be a challenge she expressed and it will evolve. The example she used here was that the jars she is using and wanted to continue using were tapered and that doesn’t lend itself well to a label that wraps around the jar. Something she had to also think about was how to sample her salts with potential customers. After thinking about it and also brainstorming with others she now offers 
Flights of her products which are small resealable packets of the gourmet flavors, six different Flights with four flavors in each Flight.
This gives customers a chance to try four flavors before investing in a larger jar.
Most businesses today have been affected with supply chain issues. Without notice, Terri’s main supplier of salt announced they would no longer be carrying one of her main ingredients. Perseverance, which Terri says you must have, helped her get through that situation after feeling defeated for a day or so and she ended up finding a new source much closer to home. Terri has a “never give up” attitude!
Terri has been participating in a women’s entrepreneurship group through Lakeshore Advantage in Holland and it was that group that really helped her figure out what she wanted to do and accomplish. She also expressed that sharing her ideas with others has led to some of the innovations that she has now implemented. Terri spoke highly of having a resource like Kitchen 242 available in our region. “Small food business start-ups usually do not have resources to invest in capital equipment that might be needed in addition to the normal business start-up costs. Kitchen 242 provides that space and equipment at a very reasonable rate”, Terri shared.
While talking with Terri we felt her passion and excitement as she shared her future plans. She is hoping to be in several retail outlets soon and she has hired her first employee who will be helping her sell at area farmers markets. We are excited to see Salted Perfection grow!
You can find Salted Perfection at the Muskegon Farmers Market on Saturdays and online at www.saltedperfection.com
Check out Salted Perfection Flights:
- I Like It Hot!
- Gimme Some Zing
- I’m Smokin’
- The Sweetheart That I Am
- Call Me Sassy and Classy
- I Am A Natural