No Salt, All Flavor: MFER Seasonings and Sauces brings a new kind of spice to its customers

In 2019, Antoine Williams embarked on a journey to bring a new dimension of taste to the seasonings and sauces marketplace. With his culinary expertise and a relentless determination to create something extraordinary, he founded MFER Seasonings and Sauces in Detroit, Michigan. From the very beginning, his mission was clear: to craft flavorful products that would not only tantalize taste buds but also cater to the dietary needs of a wide range of customers.

“We started networking with other small business owners, and it led us to Michigan Good Food Fund. We were looking for funding to help us recover from our losses. Our goals were to stay in business and also continue to provide healthy lifestyle options to our community,” commented Williams. “I would like to thank Aaron Jackson and Michigan Good Food Fund for giving my company the direction and opportunity to succeed.”

MFER Seasonings and Sauces made a welcomed entrance into the Michigan culinary scene with their unique “No Salt” blends. These innovative seasonings were designed to deliver bold flavors without the health concerns associated with a lot of added sodium.

Over the course of three years, MFER Seasonings and Sauces gained recognition for their no-salt blends in communities across Southeast Michigan, and their products found their way onto the shelves of over 100 stores in Metro Detroit, including several Meijer locations.

In 2022, MFER Seasonings and Sauces reached yet another milestone—the opening of their first brick-and-mortar store in Livonia, Michigan. As the business thrived, the company remained committed to its roots, proudly supporting local and minority-owned businesses by featuring their products alongside MFER’s own store offerings.

Then, adversity struck. A labeling issue with seasoning sold in stores across the state led MFER Seasonings and Sauces to pull the products off the shelves. Antoine’s business lost thousands of dollars in product revenue and it became a working capital crisis.

Antoine heard of the Michigan Good Food Fund through fellow food entrepreneurs as a good resource for small food businesses and decided to reach out for help. He soon connected with Aaron Jackson at Michigan Good Food Fund and began figuring out what was possible for his business. As administrative manager and investor in the Michigan Good Food Fund, Fair Food Network helped Antoine secure a loan needed to help MFER Seasonings and Sauces recover from the lost revenue and begin to thrive once again.

“Three things stood out to me after I initially met with Antoine: his resiliency during the challenges of entrepreneurship, his passion for supporting healthy people through no-salt seasonings, and his desire to help other entrepreneurs by allowing them to sell products in his brick-and-mortar location. His collaborative approach with other entrepreneurs and sourcing of local healthy ingredients is an excellent example of how we can strengthen our food system and economy.” Aaron Jackson, Director of Michigan Good Food Fund.

With the MFER Seasonings and Sauces brick-and-mortar and online stores continuing to grow, Antoine’s business journey continues, inviting food enthusiasts everywhere to experience the magic of MFER Seasonings and Sauces no-salt blends and unique seasonings. For Michigan Good Food Fund and Fair Food Network, supporting MFER Seasonings was a fit for its mission to invest in businesses bringing good food and jobs to its local community and supporting Black-owned businesses that create a more equitable, resilient food economy.