Savannahian Robin Reeves has a reputation for really good food.
“I’ve been cooking for years. My wife was my first guinea pig, and from there, it led to me cooking for cookouts for my family and friends. They would always ask, ‘what did you put on this meat? How did you get the food to taste like this?’”
His secret? Superb seasonings. He would create unique spice blends in his home kitchen that delivered undeniable flavor when applied to a wide variety of foods. Eventually, all the positive feedback motivated him to start bottling up his blends and selling them. And so, he launched his premium seasonings company Mason Jar Money in January of 2020.
The business name came from Reeves’ father, who nicknamed him Mason Jar Money because he’d always show up to family functions with mason jars full of his special spice blends.
“Everytime I came around, it was ‘Mason Jar Money.’ So, I turned that into my whole company name,” Reeves explained.
Since its inception, business has been great for Reeves.
“It started out really good [with] the support I was getting. People were so surprised, [saying] they haven’t seen many black-owned seasoning companies,” he said.
Then, when the pandemic hit, business really started taking off.
“It just made it blow up even more because now people were home. They needed things to cook and they needed things to cook with. They were shopping with me. It was really good,” Reeves remarked.
Currently, the Mason Jar Money lineup consists of five seasonings, each with a unique name that has personal significance for Reeves. One of his best-sellers is called Port Life, named for the Savannah seaport.
“It’s great for seafood . . . and it’s very spicy, just like our city is,” Reeves said.
His top-selling product is called Cowboy, which is named for his favorite football team. It’s an all-purpose seasoning that sells all throughout the country.
“I get people buying that from California, Texas, New York. I even sent some over to Japan because people really love that Cowboy spice,” told Reeves.
His personal favorite is a green blend called Friday, which was named after his favorite movie “Friday,” a stoner comedy starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker.
“It’s green. It’s an herbal seasoning, so it looks like what they were doing on Friday, but it’s not that,” he said with a laugh. “It’s all herbs and different spices. . . I love to use that one on my steaks, chicken, anything that I’m cooking in my kitchen. I can always sprinkle some Friday in and it’s perfect.”
Reeves says his seasonings are unlike anything that can be found in a store.
“What makes mine special is I hand blend my stuff. . . It’s not anything that has been sitting in a warehouse. . . It’s all coming straight from my head, and I haven’t tasted anything like it. All of my customers would say the same thing,” he expressed.
Another distinguishing factor is the size of his products.
“You’re getting more bang for your buck. You’re not just getting a little shaker. . . You’re getting a 4-ounce, 8-ounce or 16-ounce mason jar full of straight flavor,” he explained. “And it’s low in sodium. All of my spices are low in sodium and they’re not lacking flavor. . . It doesn’t really have salt, but . . . you’re still going to get a mouthful of flavor every time you bite into anything you cook using my spices.”
He added, “You should buy my seasonings because not only is it looking out for your health, but it’s also bringing a whole different dynamic into your kitchen and into your food every time you cook.”
Reeves encourages people to give his products a try “because you want your food to be better and you want to feel better after you eat.”
In addition to the seasonings, Reeves also sells a cookbook with plans to expand the product line within the next year. He also does catering for cookouts and other functions and plans to start doing cooking classes in the future.
“We’re doing couples nights where we’ll be cooking together with couples and helping them bring their marriage back together by teaching them how to cook together. It’s going to be a big, big family-oriented type of thing that we’re moving into,” said Reeves.
Speaking of family, he has two young daughters who have taken interest in the business, making Mason Jar Money a family affair.
“My nine-year-old daughter loves it, so now she’s into the whole process of cooking. She actually goes to a cooking camp now, and she’s been in the kitchen trying to come up with her own blend. I’m actually looking at coming out with a whole line for kids based off of my daughter,” he explained.
“We are a family line of products,” Reeves stated with pride. “[My daughters] are interested in helping create spices and different products of their own.”
His daughters are getting ready to launch their own pancake mix called Flapjack Fortune, which will be available for purchase online soon. Though plans to grow into a brick and mortar business are on the horizon, Reeves currently sells exclusively online.
To learn more, visit masonjarmoney.com and connect with Reeves on Facebook @RockyReeves or Instagram @masonjarmoney.
