MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Brianna Edwards of Minneapolis never dreamed she would be running a seasoning company.
But during the pandemic in the spring of 2020, Edwards had the idea to create a spice blend for her mom who has hypertension and diabetes.
"All started with an idea just trying to make sure that my mom had a healthier option because I'm really concerned about her own personal health," Edwards said.
Edwards wanted her mom to be able to enjoy some of her favorite flavors but with less sodium.
After coming up with a recipe, her mom loved it and so did other family members and friends.
It led to Edwards launching her business, LOV3 IT S3ASONING. Her nephew got $20 for coming up with the winning name. The threes stand for 33 — Edwards' old basketball number and a number she now sees everywhere.
"33 means a lot to me and it also is the year that Jesus died but also was resurrected. So I feel like that number for me is like me reinventing myself, who I am, for the last three years when I've been grinding trying to become a business owner," Edwards said.
When Edwards was creating her spice blends, she consulted her high school math teacher to help figure out the measurements for a seasoning with less than 1% sodium. That's compared to one competitor at 17%.
"The mission that I created was allowing you to have that flavor still but not all the sodium," Edwards said. "I see how it affects my family every day. My brother... at 35 he had to start taking high blood pressure medication and to know that the men in my family, there's nobody over the age of 60 that's still alive... it's kind of frightening for me," she said.
LOV3 IT now has five spice blends.
Edwards has expanded into a commercial kitchen and she has dreams of getting her spice blends in stores, especially Target.
But during last year, Edwards needed to take a break. She runs several businesses, including the hair oil company Chatese and two podcasts (Talk'N Spit and Free Game Sports Podcast).
"Within the last two years, I've been in the hospital like six times just off pure exhaustion, dehydration, anxiety. My heart rate was elevated… I was like, 'Brianna, you have to figure out a better way to manage what you love without killing yourself,'" Edwards recalled.
She started getting serious about her health — from meal planning to working out. Edwards has also hired more people on her team to help with scaling her business.
She went on to say, "I'm just walking in my purpose, and my calling, and whatever God wants to continue to keep bringing me, I'm just down for the ride. If I can change one person's life, that's okay with me."
You can find LOV3 IT at The Annex Farmers Market and the Midtown Farmers Market. LOV3 IT will be at Midtown on Saturday, May 14 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. See all events, here.
You can also purchase LOV3 IT online, here.
Know a local business we should feature for our Behind the Business segment? Email Heidi Wigdahl at hwigdahl@kare11.com.
