Tom and Nick Bedrosian bio box
Updated: October 14, 2024
Shop Talk
Q&A: Brothers bring flavor to Central Mass.
Photos | Courtesy of BROZZIAN SPICES
Co-owners of Brozzian Spices in Whitinsville, CEO Tom Bedrosian (left) and CFO Nick Bedrosian (right)
Tom and Nick Bedrosian always knew they wanted to go into business together. Growing up, the brothers did not know what their business would look like, but after creating an all-purpose seasoning in their family kitchen, an idea for a spice company was born. Brozzian Spices launched in 2015 and has expanded from seasonings to include dip mixes, salts, infused oils, and flavored mac and cheeses. The spices can be found on their website and local retail stores, and most of their products are manufactured on site in Whitinsville. The brothers aspire to see their products on the shelves of large retail store chains, aiming to introduce more customers to their unique flavors.
What was the inspiration behind your company?
Nick: When we were younger, we knew we wanted to go into business together. Tom is a very talented chef, and he knew food really well, so we knew we could come up with a lot of cool recipes and unique inspirational foods. People come together for food, and we wanted to be a part of that. It started out with spices, and we branched into mac and cheese and other products as well.
Tom: It started out as an idea with our all-purpose seasoning, which was our first product and is still one of our best-selling products today. We were using that seasoning on everything and eventually started making more. At that time, we realized we could turn this into a business, so other people can experience these spices and seasonings on their food.
Was it challenging to switch career focuses and go into business?
Nick: It was challenging, and there were aspects of our lives that were difficult to fully transition. Prior to starting the business, Tom was a chef in the industry, and we used some of his contacts as potential sales, which had its benefits.
Tom: The hardest part was transitioning the company. Starting a business is not as complicated as it seems, but it’s actually building that business and knowing how to do everything properly. From ensuring everything was being conducted correctly legally, to knowing when to expand or not, was the hardest. We were going from living different lives and tried to build and grow the company as we were evolving with it.
How do you both separate your roles and responsibilities?
Nick: There are certain things that we do together, such as representing and selling the products at festivals and shows. We make decisions on the direction of the company together. Two minds are better than one, so we try to do the bulk of our decision making and actions together.
But there are aspects of the company we do on our own. I do more of the technical aspects of the company such as maintaining the website, customer service, and tracking sales and finances. Tom is the recipe guy. He comes up with the products, and everything our customers are tasting is something that came from his mind.
What products do you offer, and what are some customer favorites?
Tom: In total, we offer 42 retail products, and out of those, 37 are made at our site in Whitinsville. The five salts we carry are sourced from a high-grade salt producer.
For customer favorites, our most popular flavors for each product are the roasted potato seasoning, garlic and herb dip mix, and Italian-infused oil. Our most popular salt is Himalayan pink salt, but we don’t produce salts, we source them.
Our mac and cheese is the most popular with our customers, and our campfire mac and cheese is the most popular item we sell across all our products. I have not seen other companies making mac and cheese flavors with spices. A lot of people use different kinds of fillers and artificial flavors, and we don’t. We use a high-grade cheddar cheese powder and spices and herbs to make these flavors on the market. The barbecue and cajun mac and cheese are popular too.
Where can people find your products?
Nick: The best vendor is our website because it has all of our products. With 40+ products, we cannot carry all of them at each vendor, since it would take up too much shelf space. Our vendors carry some of our products, such as Foppema's Farm in Northbridge and other local places around the area too.
What are your future plans?
Tom: We are always looking to grow, whether it be more access to customers or larger stores. A phone call from someone who is in charge of purchasing at a large store like Hannaford or Market Basket could be a total game changer. We are equipped to supply a large store like that but are just having a little trouble breaking through, so that is one of our main focuses right now. Our products would sell really well in retail.
We are always leaving our options open and are eager to pursue different avenues. Whether it is prioritizing retail, going full online, putting an emphasis on social media, or even looking to sell the company, there are many opportunities we can explore.
This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Correspondent Sara Bedigian.
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