For KC Natural founder Brendon, the idea for a condiment company didn’t start with a business plan. It started with a celiac diagnosis.

In 2012, Brendon was diagnosed with celiac disease and suddenly had to rethink nearly everything he knew about food.

“I had no idea how to live without eating gluten, and didn't even know what that was when I was told it was my issue,” he says.

The next year became a process of relearning how to eat while giving his body time to heal. As he started feeling better, he also began to understand just how much his health had been affecting the rest of his life—from his mood and relationships to his ability to work.

Fortunately, he already knew his way around a kitchen.

From Restaurant Kitchens to His Own Recipes

Brendon had worked as a cook in restaurants during college and had always loved writing recipes. When his diet changed, those skills became a way to recreate the foods he could no longer easily buy.

At the time, gluten-free options were nowhere near as common as they are today, and many of the condiments lining grocery store shelves weren't made with specialized diets in mind. So Brendon started making his own.

Then a friend told him about a sauce manufacturer right down the street that could produce his recipes at scale. That conversation planted the seed for KC Natural.

The original products focused on gluten-free recipes made with natural ingredients. But a conversation with someone who couldn't eat nightshades would ultimately change the direction of the company.

Brendon developed Mastodon BBQ Sauce without the tomatoes and peppers typically found in barbecue sauce.

“When I launched the Mastodon sauce, it was a game-changer,” he says. “Suddenly, I had a real business, and I knew who I needed to serve.”

Over the next several years, he built out an entire collection of nightshade-free condiments including Tomato-Free Salsa, Tomato-Free Ketchup, additional BBQ sauces, tomato-free marinara sauces, and a line of dry seasonings.

Flavor Comes First

Today, every KC Natural product starts with AIP in mind. That means the sauces are designed with people following the Autoimmune Protocol in mind, while also giving people who avoid tomatoes or nightshades more options for bringing familiar flavors back to the table. But meeting a dietary need is only part of the equation.

“And more than anything, the products have to taste good,” Brendon says. “I want people to feel like they aren't missing anything.”

That's especially important when food already requires more planning, label reading, and compromise than you might like.

“It's already hard enough living a restricted lifestyle on top of dealing with illness,” he says. “I just want to help people live happy lives and enjoy what they put on their plate.”

New to KC Natural? Start With What You Miss Most.

If you've never tried KC Natural, Brendon recommends starting with two of the brand's most versatile products: Traditional Pasta Sauce and Mastodon BBQ Sauce.

Both can easily become everyday staples, whether you're making pasta, pizza, barbecue, bowls, proteins, or simply looking for an easy way to add more flavor to dinner.

But Brendon has an even simpler rule for choosing your first jar: Start with the condiment you miss the most.

Because that's really what KC Natural is about, not asking people to learn to live without their favorite foods, but finding another way to enjoy them.

A Small Company With a Very Personal Mission

KC Natural may have a growing lineup of products, but behind the brand is still one person.

“I think there's a misconception sometimes that KC Natural is a large company with employees,” Brendon says. “It couldn't be further from the truth.”

He built the company himself, initially financing it with credit cards while continuing his 9-to-5 career in advertising. For years, he balanced that career with developing new products and growing KC Natural.

These days, he's intentionally slowing the pace of product development and giving himself a little more room to enjoy what he's built. That doesn't mean he's stopped thinking about what comes next, though. Customer ideas and suggestions continue to inspire what KC Natural could become.

And after everything it took to build the business, Brendon doesn't take its community for granted.

“I feel blessed that it has been this successful and just want everyone who supports the business to know how truly grateful I am.”

For a brand created because one person couldn't find the foods he needed, that's a fitting place for KC Natural to be today: making sure more people can find something delicious that works for them.

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