When Denver-area 8th grader Emily Rudnick reached out to us in February of 2017 to ask for advice about starting a spice business, we wanted to do whatever we could to encourage her entrepreneurial dreams.

Using Savory Spice products, Emily has been making a custom blend she calls Rudspice in small batches for years and in doing so, created a cult following for the product among family and friends. As part of her leadership class in school, she had to build a business plan for a Shark Tank-style competition, and Emily chose to use this opportunity to try to turn Rudspice into a legitimate business.

“I have spent many years trying to create a perfect spice that can go on everything,” Emily told us, “I wanted to take Rudspice to the next level after all my family and friends loved the flavor of Rudspice. I wanted more people to enjoy the flavor that Rudspice brings to your palate.”

Emily and Mike testing Rudspice in the Savory Test Kitchen - it's great for blackened chicken!

So what is Rudspice? As Emily says, it's "a concentrated bottle of blended chilies and spices that are balanced across the palate. Just a sprinkle can add a boost of addictive spicy flavor to many dishes from scrambled eggs and popcorn to chicken and pasta and anything in between."

Hoping to learn more about the ins and outs of running a spice company, Emily reached out to me and Janet for advice. Because we love Emily’s passion for her product, we not only agreed to help her learn about running a spice company, we also proposed a partnership that would take her school project to the next level.

In late February 2017, Emily came to our warehouse in Denver to craft the next steps for our partnership and to get some insight into the spice business with a behind the scenes tour and an interview with me and Janet. Armed with plenty of advice, Emily left the warehouse ready to finalize her recipe and officially launch the Kickstarter for her business.

Emily quickly met her initial goal of $1,500 with over $1,700 in funding raised in less than a week. Now Emily is continuing her fundraising efforts by bringing Rudspice to Savory Spice shelves in the Denver area. She will be visiting two Savory Spice locations to sample and sell her exclusive spice blend and talk about what it’s been like to start her own business from scratch.

If you're in the Denver area, come by to see Emily and taste Rudspice for yourself:

• Saturday, March 18, 2017 from 11am-2pm at 1537 Platte St, Denver
  RSVP on Facebook
• Sunday, March 19, 2017 from 11am-2pm at 2560 W Main St, Littleton
  RSVP on Facebook

2 fl oz bottles of Rudspice will be available for purchase for $6.00/each at the Platte Street and Littleton locations of Savory Spice starting March 18, 2017 while supplies last, and all profit from sales of Rudspice will be donated to Emily’s Kickstarter.

***UPDATE***
As of April 4, 2017, Savory Spice is sold out of Rudspice. If you're interested in purchasing Rudspice directly from Emily, please visit her website, www.rudspice.com.

We hope that, like us, you're inspired by Emily's ambition and drive!

Read Emily's Q&A with Denver Westword.