Meet Amber Easton of Saltflow

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Easton.  

Hi Amber, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thank you so much for inviting me.  I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to introduce myself and share Saltflow with you.  Saltflow is a family-owned business proudly operated in Detroit, Michigan.  Saltflow provides a vast selection of locally handcrafted infused and flavored sea salt blends, premium smoked sea salts, and naturally harvested high-quality sea salt from around the world.  Our products are intended for culinary uses including cooking, baking, and direct food, and beverage applications.  Saltflow was started with the goal of inspiring people to explore their creativity in the kitchen.  We are passionate about improving the lives of our customers by bringing extraordinary high-quality gourmet sea salt to ordinary kitchens like ours.

The story of Saltflow really began with a dream. Literally. Several years ago, I had an unusual and vivid dream about salt. I started researching salt, its origins, methods of harvesting, and various uses and was absolutely amazed at the world of salt.  Like many of us, I enjoyed salty snacks every now and then and used table salt or seasoning salts in my cooking. Other than that, I never really gave salt much thought. After learning about so many different types of sea salt, I started to experiment with it in my own kitchen and diet. I was immediately hooked, and sea salt became my passion.

I spent a good portion of my adult life trying to find the right diet that did not drain my energy, give me brain fog, or make me feel bloated. I was tired of feeling sluggish after I ate. I reduced my intake of salt, preservatives, and fast food and started experimenting with more natural fresh ingredients. Fresh herbs and spices are essential when cooking with fresh natural ingredients, including salt because of its flavor-enhancing qualities.  As more health-conscious consumers continue to seek out healthier options, salt is the key ingredient that is often overlooked. It is nearly impossible to completely cut salt out of your diet since so many items contain salt already. You can control the amount of extra salt you are consuming though.  Rather than loading my recipes with table salt during the cooking process, I started using high-quality sea salt as a final finishing touch and I fell in love with the results. The pure taste, contrasting colors, flavors, and textures deliver an element of surprise in each bite.  When I started eating and using salt differently, I was amazed by the positive results. I started to immediately feel better and appreciated food much more.

Sea salt has a completely different flavor and texture from manufactured table salt. After months of using only sea salt, I tried traditional table salt again and found it tasted metallic. I later discovered that it is often anti-caking agents and other chemicals that give table salt a distinctive slightly metallic taste. All unprocessed salt has a similar chemical makeup—it consists mainly of sodium and chloride. Depending on the source of the water, natural sea salt may contain various trace minerals with small amounts of calcium, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, and iron. The various minerals add flavor and color to the sea salt. Because it is unprocessed, manipulated, or altered, sea salt has a crunchy texture and stronger flavor. It has a pure salty flavor, and a little sea salt goes a long way.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There have been obstacles, but we work through them and keep moving forward. Owning a business can certainly be challenging especially when you pour your heart and soul into it, and it leaves you feeling vulnerable at times. It is also one of the most rewarding experiences for me personally. Creating and building a business is a marathon, not a sprint. It can be a slow process, especially in the beginning when you are doing everything yourself including market research and brand and product design & development. I made some expensive mistakes, but it was all part of the process.

Initially, the biggest challenge was navigating Michigan’s food law requirements. Starting a food-based or food-related business in Michigan can be a labor-intensive process. Michigan food law requires a lot of checks and balances to be in place including Standard Operating Procedures, State licensing, ServSafe food safety certification, proper packaging, compliant labeling, documented recipes, and food liability insurance to name a few.  It was important to me to make sure everything was done correctly and that took a lot of research and time. I am grateful for the Michigan State University Product Center, Eastern Market Detroit Kitchen Connect, and Build Institute. They were all excellent resources and helped me tremendously while navigating those areas.

Saltflow was founded in the latter half of 2019. I spent the first several months testing the market by participating in various food shows and vending events, testing and documenting recipes, creating content for the website, and designing product labels.

Then out of nowhere the pandemic hit which none of us could be prepared for. At a time when I thought we would be out networking at spring and summer events, hosting tastings, and participating in food shows, everything came to a pause. We had to recalibrate. I shifted the focus to improving the existing products, testing new products, securing additional suppliers of high-quality ingredients, building the company website, building an Etsy shop, and securing a shared commercial kitchen space within the City of Detroit.

Often the most challenging part was stepping outside of my comfort zone and overcoming any feelings of self-doubt that crept in when feeling vulnerable. I used to get so excited about the products because I personally love them and find value in them. Then that doubtful side of me would start saying, “just because you love the product doesn’t mean everyone else will.” Fortunately, the response from customers has been very positive and they love the products as much as we do, and those doubtful thoughts continue to decline as time goes on.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Transparency is important to me when I purchase food products. I believe many people (like me) want to know what goes into their food. That is why we make sure every single ingredient is clearly listed on the label. I am proud of the quality of our products. We source from salt producers that are renowned for the quality of their sea salt and possess exacting standards with attention to purity and respect for the environment. We spend considerable time looking for high-quality all-natural organic ingredients for our infused products. I do not believe in secrets when it comes to food so rest assured, there are no mystery ingredients. We do not use any anti-caking or pouring agents in our products. We are always looking for ways to improve our product and are committed to remaining all-natural and chemical-free.

We currently sell our products online on the Saltflow website and our Etsy store.  As Saltflow continues to grow and expand, you can expect big changes to the breadth of the gourmet products we offer.  Several items will be added to our product line in our online store.  Eventually, we would like to expand into a few select specialty gourmet food stores, health food stores, and most importantly local grocery stores so that everyone has access to a variety of great-quality sea salts.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I was born and raised in Canada and immigrated to the United States almost 20 years ago. The company I was employed with at the time moved my position to the U.S. I was a single parent raising a beautiful daughter who was about to begin her first year of high school (yikes!). It was a challenging time in our lives and moving to a new country as a single parent was one of the scariest decisions I ever made. It was not just me I had to worry about. I was afraid but knew I had to take the leap if I wanted to continue to grow personally and professionally and provide more opportunities for my daughter. She has since grown into a beautiful woman who is also a proud local business owner.  She inspires me every day and I could not be prouder of her.

I work full-time as an IT Service Delivery Manager, which I am also passionate about.  Providing solutions, meeting customer demand, and providing excellent customer service have always been at the center point of all my work.  That customer-centered focus has also been a benefit to Saltflow.

When I am not working, you will often find me in the kitchen like a mad scientist testing new recipes and products and creating new sea salt infusions. I am always experimenting and testing something new.

When I need ultimate relaxation and am not able to get away, I enjoy art projects including painting with acrylics on canvas. Painting allows me to fully quiet my mind and be present in the moment.  Its an amazing form of therapy for me and I often recommend it to people to explore their creativity and give it a try.

Favorite Quote: “Always have a unique character like salt. Its presence is not felt, but its absence makes everything tasteless.” Original Author Unknown

Contact Info:

• Website: www.saltflow.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saltflowsalt/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saltflowsalt
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/saltflowsalt
• Linktree:  https://linktr.ee/saltflow