Seasoning Solutions
Business
Successful businesses are often born out of necessity. This is the case with Seasoning Solutions, a one-woman venture that turns unique recipes into gourmet dry meal kits. During the pandemic, founder Laura Pettigrew was sending meal ingredients packed in zip-lock bags to her elderly mother, who was overwhelmed with grocery shopping challenges and lived 2,000 miles away. Her mother loved them, and soon, Pettigrew turned the concept into a business. A home-based business located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Seasoning Solutions offers more than 100 gourmet products, from soup mixes to breads to dry rubs, through local farmers’ markets and online Etsy sales.
Challenge
Pettigrew started her business under Michigan’s Cottage Food Law, which allowed her to produce and sell foods from an unlicensed home kitchen. Within two years, she had exceeded the annual sales threshold and needed to become fully licensed and operate from a commercial prep kitchen. At first, she reached out to churches and restaurants with licensed kitchens, hoping to rent space. Unfortunately, with pandemic restrictions still in place, that wasn’t a viable option. That’s when Pettigrew began her long and complicated process of building a commercial kitchen. With no prior experience in the food industry, Pettigrew was working long hours on her own and faced difficulties identifying and connecting with others in her profession. She needed to find networking opportunities that could help her grow her business further.
It’s not just about having access to credit or capital—it’s about having a partner who values me and supports me in building something sustainable. That’s why KeyBank stands out when it comes to empowering aspiring female-owned businesses.
— Laura Pettigrew, Owner, Seasoning Solutions
Solution
As a former branch employee of KeyBank, Pettigrew had personal insight into the bank’s dedication to supporting local small business clients. She turned to KeyBank for a small business line of credit, which she used to purchase commercial-grade tabletops, sinks, light fixtures, and tiled wall surfaces. Pettigrew says, “I feel reassured knowing I have access to a revolving line of credit whenever I need it. The flexibility to pay it down and use it again as needed gives me confidence that my business can continue to run seamlessly and adapt smoothly during slower periods.” Pettigrew also received a KeyBank Business Rewards credit card. There’s no cap on cashback earnings, no category limitations for spending, no expiration dates on redeeming rewards, and no annual fee. When working at KeyBank, Pettigrew’s fellow employees made an especially positive impression – one that led her back to KeyBank. “My KeyBank business banker helped me to understand the bigger picture of what it means to manage money and build strong financial habits,” she says. Pettigrew also points to the Key4Women program as essential to making vital business connections and never feeling alone as a one-woman team. “KeyBank truly understands the hurdles women entrepreneurs face and works to bridge those gaps. Key4Women has introduced me to the resources and advisors genuinely invested in my success.”
Results
With online category sales ranking in Etsy’s top 2.0%, the Seasoning Solutions success story has just begun. A new partnership is now helping Pettigrew to develop an additional website. This new platform will align with her mission: Effortless Cooking, Strengthening Bonds – Bringing Communities Together One Meal at a Time. Through engaging blogs, she hopes to inspire discussions around food traditions, insecurities, and healthy choices – empowering individuals, families, and communities of all backgrounds to connect, learn, and cultivate. Key4Women networking events have been instrumental in helping Pettigrew make key connections, giving her great opportunities to get insights from others in the industry and formulate the next steps in her own gourmet food journey. As Seasoning Solutions expands into new markets and e-commerce, Pettigrew says she will look to KeyBank for seamless digital banking tools that integrate with platforms like Shopify and Etsy, along with strong fraud protection. When asked if she has ever called herself a “Spice Girl,” Pettigrew smiles and replies, “I prefer to think of myself more as a Powerpuff Girl for their toughness and resilience.” More power to you, Laura!
To learn more, contact or visit key.com/sbalocations.
To learn more about Seasoning Solutions, visit seasoningsolutions.com.
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