Our Story

Sandhill Ben Grilling

One day in 1976, my dad was in charge of barbequing 500 pounds of beef for our hometown annual community festival in Cody, Nebraska.

As he was getting ready to barbeque, my mom, Patricia, encouraged him to experiment with blending spices to create a rub for the meat— he went to the kitchen spice cupboard and the magical creation had begun.

He put a dash of this, a pinch of that in the rub, and it was SO good. We ran out of his barbeque really fast during the festivities; our friends and family just couldn't get enough!

Dad started selling his spices through word of mouth. During the day, he worked on our ranch raising a herd of purebred cattle. And at night, he worked on perfecting his spices.

He had a passion for good beef and didn’t like sauces and seasonings that masked the natural flavors of the meat. He never allowed us to put anything on our meat growing up, just our Sandhill Ben’s Seasoning, because it enhances the natural flavors.

Ultimately in 1995, our family made it official and started “Sandhill Ben’s Gourmet Seasoning” to make his seasoning widely available to those across the country.

Terri Mellor

Dad loved sharing his seasoning with others. In fact, we often teased him about giving away more than he sold.

As the company has grown, we are still a family-run business. About five years ago, I started helping my mom and dad at the State Fair. As I continued working with them, my passion grew and now I am doing more and more. As a daughter I have never been more proud to carry on my dad's love of sharing his seasoning with others.

From our family to yours, we hope you enjoy this product to the fullest.

—Terri