AIKEN – Local entrepreneur Don Wesby went from raising animals as a youth on his parents’ Waynesboro, Ga. parents’ farm to making Don’s Seasoning Delight as an adult.
Don’s Seasoning Delight is an all-purpose liquid seasoning and marinade that adds flavor to meat from animals such as the ones he helped raise when he was a kid.
Now, the Aiken resident’s seasoning and marinade has made its way to shelves outside of the Central Savannah River Area and to over 130 stores in the Southern region.
Wesby, who will be retiring year’s end after 37 years at the Savannah River Site, has spent about 20 years perfecting and marketing his liquid seasoning.
One of 18 children born to Charlie and Ethel Wesby in Waynesboro, he learned hard work by raising cows, hogs and chickens and helping to grow corn, potatoes and vegetables on his parents’ farm. There, he learned the meaning of responsibility, hard work and helping others.
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“My parents’ farm was where we were farming for our own survival,” he said.
Wesby developed his sauce and looked for ways to sell it at the urging of friends.
“I came up with the soy sauce as one ingredient and added the other ingredients. I thought, ‘If I am going to be in catering, I have to make sure it is going to be the same every time,’” he said. “At that point, I started measuring ingredients more carefully. Then, I would taste test and make additions later. Finally, I came up with my formula.”
His friends went crazy over the marinade and would constantly ask if he could make them some from his home kitchen, he said. He considered opening a restaurant or even catering with the marinade but changed his mind.
“My original plan was to open a restaurant to share with the public this wonderful taste that my family and friends have enjoyed for several years. I put God and my family first, and I realized that operating a restaurant would be very taxing on my time, and I could not make that sacrifice,” Wesby said.
His seasoning has been professionally bottled since 2003 and carried in area grocery stores. For many years, he was the supplier to those stores – personally delivering the bottles.
He recently started supplying the seasoning to the W. Lee Flowers Distribution Company. Don’s Seasoning Delight is now warehoused with the company who ships the product to over 130 KJ’s, IGA and Piggly Wiggly grocery stores in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
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“W. Lee Flowers bought out Bi-Lo. Before they bought them out, I was with Bi-Lo and with some KJs. One of the store managers was familiar with me when I was with Reid’s and Food Lion. Food Lion and W. Lee Flowers then bought out some Bi-Lo locations,” he said. “I then inquired about becoming warehoused with W. Lee Flowers. I did not have to worry about doing the self-distribution anymore. They agreed to have my product be warehoused and plan-o-gram-ed in the stores.”
Wesby increased from local distribution to Southern/regional distribution through W. Lee Flowers. He also has national and international distribution through his own website, https://www.seasoningdelight.com
Wesby did not start his business with a bank loan or investors.
“I spent my own money to start up. I did not start out to be in this business. It evolved from a passion. I cooked and shared food cooked with the marinade with some friends,” he explained.
He also didn’t rely completely on his own business sense.
He said he prayed, “Lord, if you will guide me to it, I will wait on Your direction. He said the answer to prayer was ‘Instead of having folks come to your kitchen, be in their kitchen.’ That is when I went through the process of having the marinade be in stores.”
Letting people sample the product was some of the best marketing.
“In-person marketing worked very well. When folks tasted it, they always left with a bottle,” he said.
And once those customers were sold, they passed the word onto their friends.
“Word of mouth is the best. If you are looking at a TV advertisement or radio advertisement, you may be suspicious. Word of mouth endorsement makes you go, ‘yes, sir,’ ” Wesby said.
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His sales pitch at stores from the past to the present has emphasized the healthiness of Don’s Seasoning Delight. In addition to the soy-sauce base flavor, Wesby’s product has no carbohydrates, no fat, no sugar, no MSG, low sodium and only five calories per serving.
“A similar product runs about 1,300 milligrams of sodium per serving,” he said. “With Don’s, you cook by volume. It is going to stay at 270 milligrams of sodium in what you are cooking.”
Marketing the product soon became a family affair. The marinade has its own brand character or mascot – a marinade bottle with a smile, arms and legs, and a chef’s hat – and its own color scheme. Wesby’s son designed the mascot and Don’s wife, Donna Moore Wesby, came up with the color scheme.
Wesby said, “My middle son, Mykal Moore, designed that mascot for me. He is an elementary education teacher now in the Greenville, South Carolina area. My wife came up with the color scheme – the yellow label, etc.”
Don and Donna Wesby have three children, two grandchildren with a third on the way.
Children’s health and the health of seniors are important to Mr. Wesby. After retiring, he plans to focus on opportunities with the school systems, hospitals and food service providers who need to provide flavor for food without unhealthy additives.
“I have gone to the S.C. Education Food Division. They are familiar with me. When I retire, I will look into approaching food service providers for schools, hospitals, etc.,” he said, adding that he may have an exciting announcement early in 2022.
Don’s Seasoning Delight can be used on meats and vegetables as a marinade, a condiment, baking, grilling and for injecting.
“It is so versatile for meats and vegetables. No matter what dish you use it with, it does not overpower it. It is just a base. You can cook your hams, your Boston butts, your greens. Everything will have a unique taste but will not be overpowering,” he said.
