|
|
Miners Mix was founded by Kit and Dave, two KCBS-certified competition BBQ judges in early 2009. We are exceedingly fortunate to live right at the doorstep of Yosemite National Park, in the little community of Mariposa. Our families love the rural lifestyle here; wildlife, especially turkeys, deer and quail are abundant. Dave’s kids, Shelby and Josh maintain goats, chickens, and ducks and are active in 4H. Mariposa lies in the heart of the California gold country and old mines and mining traces are common throughout the entire county. Miners Mix reflects those old-time days with products that actually could have been produced way back then, before the advent of food chemistry that gave to us artificial ingredients, colors, and flavor enhancers. The spice and seasoning blends are Dave’s creations and the end result of decades of standing over charcoal grills tending all kinds of meats, in all kinds of weather, be it wind, rain or snow and sometimes all three simultaneously. The business was born out of a batch of chorizo spice mix given out to friends. Dave had made his own Mexican chorizo for over 20 years, experimenting with various ingredients and chiles, until he stumbled upon the key heritage chile that forms the backbone of his carne asada / chorizo blend. This chile makes a huge difference in mouth-feel and taste and is what makes his chorizo absolutely unique on the market today. Friends urged Dave to market and sell the chorizo spice blend, however, given the plethora of spice mixes and BBQ seasoning rubs available, he was hesitant to enter the fray. At the continued insistence of friends, he decided to take the plunge and together with the Kit, they formed Miners Mix (for a little fun, see The Legend of Joshua Shelby!). Starting a foods business entailed a steep learning curve. Everything was unfamiliar. From packaging the product, to labels, nutrition panels, sources of spices, it was all new. One of the most difficult things about starting Miners Mix was actually formalizing the recipes that Dave had used for years. Like most backyard cooks, Dave had made seasonings, rubs, and marinades, dumping some of this into a lot of that, (then, sometimes dumping the entire lot into the trash) to finalize a taste he was after. One thing he didn’t like was most of the store-bought seasonings…In general they all had way, way too much salt that completely overpowered the taste of the meat. You barbecue in order to taste the meat; seasonings should work with the meat, not overpower it to become the primary flavor. Miners Mix rubs are all low salt; in most cases our stuff is lower in salt that the big guy’s “low salt” version. The end result is you can put more Miners Mix onto your meat without over salting. All of us at Miners Mix are committed to bettering our world and local community. Both Kit and Dave are active in service organizations and the company regularly donates product to local fundraisers for use as auction items in gift baskets. As our business grows, we plan to increase our commitment to our community. With your support, we’ll be able to give back lots more in the future. We’d love to hear from you regarding Miners Mix. Email or follow us on Facebook. Be sure to stop by for a visit on your way to magnificent Yosemite. Mariposa is quiet and rural, and there are NO traffic signals! |