“While working in Mexico, I discovered this amazing salt and felt that it would be a natural substitution for what restaurants and hotels currently use,” says Brian Pierce. Taking that inspiration, he founded True Salt mid last year, bringing to market an all-natural, unrefined sea salt from the Sea of Cortez — salt with nutrients and flavor, without chemicals or additives.
Pierce’s target market is the hospitality industry as well as home chefs, and he worked with professional chefs to develop his product and his brand. This was, he feels, one of the biggest challenges in starting and growing his company. “Creating a brand from scratch takes a lot of time and energy,” he says, adding, “Trials of the specific grains and getting the chef’s input took some time, but listening to what the market needed has paid off as the brand is very popular.”
True Salt currently offers three distinct salt grains for cooking including Kosher Grain, designed as a foundational ingredient in a texture that is easy to control and sprinkle; Coarse Grain, ideal for salting proteins and vegetables in both prep and finishing stages; and Fine Grain, for brining, salad dressings and everyday cooking.
Adding to its current three all-natural and unrefined products, True Salt is planning to launch a Cocktail Salt, designed specifically for bars and beverages, and a Flake Salt, a hand-harvested artisanal finishing salt.
According to Pierce and co-founder Kelly Egan, True Salt has been growing rapidly. Already a staple in restaurants and hotels throughout the Southwest and Southern California, the company has aligned with the leading health-inspired, clean-living national restaurant chain, True Food Kitchen.
Getting True Salt Co. off the ground also took persistence, a quality Pierce was fully prepared to invest. “I’ve learned that persistence without exception is a must.
“I’ve owned and operated multiple businesses and believe that you have to understand that you’ll hear ‘no’ several times but you have to stick to a plan,” shares Pierce. “It may change, but following a vision takes persistence.”
