Saltopia Artisan Infused Sea Salts immediately gained my attention when I read the company is headquartered in New Jersey, not far from where I was born and raised. I was excited to learn more about a successful business using fresh, locally grown ingredients.
Saltopia is a minority, female-owned business, founded by stay-at-home mom, Kimarie Santiago. Down to one income after having children, her family was on a budget. She started creating and gifting infused salts to save money. Her friends then encouraged her to start selling the salts. I always love a story about a business created from a hobby!
Fast forward five years and her recipes are Saltopia, a successful business with multiple product lines and a vast array (over 60 flavors) of infused sea salts.
Kimarie calls herself a “mad scientist,” working with each type of salt to determine how the crystal fuses with flavors, and which salts work best with specific ingredients.The salts are naturally harvested all over the world.
Saltopia is different from other infused salt producers because they only use pure, fresh, organic ingredients instead of dried, dehydrated flavors that other salt companies select.The use of organic ingredients eliminates unwanted chemicals and pesticides from Saltopia’s products, and allows for a pure flavor. Kimarie works with local farmers to source ingredients, promoting sustainability, and then spends the time (hours to days) to perfect the infusion process and get the perfect flavor.
Saltopia’s flavors are derived from fruits, vegetables, herbs and wine and range from strawberry to basil, balsamic vinegar to cheddar cheese – anything you can imagine! They currently produce over 8,000 pounds of salt in their NJ “grotto” and have the “ability and ambition” to create even more. One of my favorite things I learned about Saltopia is that each batch is created by hand — there are never any machines involved — and a batch never exceeds 50 pounds to ensure the flavor is perfect. Kimarie found larger batches had altered flavor, and decided mass production will not be part of the business.
We were able to try three of the most popular salt flavors: Kiss and Tell, Hot Head and Shot Well. Each salt came in a resealable glass jar with a little wooden spoon and recipe suggestions.
The Kiss and Tell is garlic infused sea salt. I used the salt to encrust a whole chicken I was roasting for dinner. I also tossed some in with the carrots and potatoes we were roasting along with the bird. The smell in our house was fantastic as it all cooked! When it was done, the chicken skin had a great, not overly salty or garlicky flavor. The vegetables were also delicious, kicked up a notch from my usual table salt and pepper combo. My husband is not a huge garlic fan, but found this salt to be very tasty and a good balance of flavor.
The Hot Head salt, infused with habanero peppers, is very spicy. I have yet to dare use it on anything, as just a little taste sent my palate into overdrive. Keep in mind, though, that our family tends to lean on the milder side of spices. The final flavor, Shot Well, is an Alderwood smoked sea salt. We found a recipe on the package using it with Salmon, one of our staple meals, so we gave it a shot. It was very different from our usual preparation, but everyone, including the kids, enjoyed the slightly salty, smoky flavor it added.
Saltopia offers lots of different products, and could be a great holiday gifting option. In addition to their 60+ jarred salt flavors, they have gift sets, rubs and brines, chocolate truffles topped with their salts, pure salts, infused butters and slabs of Himalayan pink sea salt that can be used for cooking and serving. I am tempted to try their turkey brine for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner. We also want to try a few of the flavored salts to rim cocktails!
Saltopia Artisan Infused Sea Salt
Made by Saltopia
www.saltopiasalts.com
Available at www.saltopiasalts.com and specialty retailers
3.4 oz. Jar of Signature Line: $12.95
Other prices vary based on product and size
Taste: 5
Ease of use/serving: 5
Nutritional Value: 5
Easy to use/prepare: 5
I would purchase this product: Yes
Overall rating: 5
All ratings on scale of 1-5 with 5 being highest.
Meet the Reviewer!
Christy Petrak is a systems engineer currently taking a leave of absence to raise her two children, Thomas (5) and Eliza (2). She enjoys spending time with her family, swimming and baking/decorating cupcakes.
