Startup CPG Newswire:
Gelson’s Adds Eat Happy Kitchen Spice Blends to Retail Shelves; Consumer-Friendly Vintage-Style Packaging Now Available in All California Stores
PRESS RELEASE — NEWS PROVIDED BY Roland Alonzi for Eat Happy Kitchen
SANTA YNEZ, CA (DECEMBER 2025) — Eat Happy Kitchen, a women-owned clean-label food brand, announced that its full line of gluten-free, no-sugar-added spice blends is now available at all Gelson’s Markets across Southern California. The four blends, free of fillers and anti-caking agents, also debut in fully redesigned, vintage-inspired tins. This marks the brand’s second retail product category, joining its line of no-sugar-added pasta sauces sold nationwide.
Gelson’s is carrying all four blends:
BBQ Dust: Smoky, savory blend designed to enhance meats, fish, and vegetables on the grill.
Taco Dust: Balanced seasoning with savory, earthy, and spicy notes for meats, eggs, dips, and more.
Ranch Dust: Versatile blend that works as a dip or dressing, and adds flavor to chicken, fish, and vegetables.
Salt Dust: All-purpose seasoning suitable anywhere salt and pepper are used, and a clean replacement for bouillon cubes.
“Eat Happy Kitchen’s spice blends are a perfect complement to our shelves at Gelson’s,” said Gretchen Johnson, Category Manager, Gelson’s. “Anna and Eat Happy Kitchen have built a reputation for including only the most wholesome, better-for-you ingredients in every product they deliver. I especially love the unique array of spice blends and their classic old-school tins.”
Beyond Gelson’s, BBQ Dust, Taco Dust, and Ranch Dust are also available at 18 Harmons Neighborhood Grocer locations in Utah.
“We’re not just selling spices, we’re selling a feeling,” said Anna Vocino, Founder and CEO. “These tins are a wink to the past and a promise that what’s inside is as clean and craveable as it gets.”
Eat Happy Kitchen originally offered its spices in upcycled biodegradable canisters but redesigned the packaging to strengthen shelf clarity and brand alignment. “These vintage-inspired tins are the most recognizable format to American buyers,” Vocino added. “When they see these tins, they know they’re looking at spices.” The new design reflects the brand’s bold, joyful identity and its commitment to clean, transparent ingredients.
Vocino, a bestselling cookbook author, voice actor, podcaster, and stand-up comic, has grown Eat Happy Kitchen into a national brand with 12 SKUs across pasta sauces, spice blends, and its new high-protein Cheese Bites. The company raised more than $675,000 from 400+ investors through an equity crowdfunding campaign.
Eat Happy Kitchen continues to expand rapidly: its pasta sauces tripled distribution in 2024, Cheese Bites launched this year, and the spice blend redesign marks another major retail milestone.
About Eat Happy Kitchen
Eat Happy Kitchen is a woman-owned, premium food company founded by Anna Vocino, author of the bestselling Eat Happy series of cookbooks. Founded with the primary mission of making foods with the highest quality clean ingredients, always gluten-free, and with no added sugar, the company’s products currently include a line of five SKUs of pasta sauces, four spice blends, and three varieties of high-protein Cheese Bites snacks. For more information about Eat Happy Kitchen, visit www.eathappykitchen.com.
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