Catrina Hill has a golden ticket from Walmart Inc. But instead of promising a tour of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory like in the movies, this golden ticket grants Hill's company, Catrina’s Kitchen Southern Spices Inc., access to Walmart customers.
Hill was one of more than 1,100 business owners from across the country who pitched their products to Walmart and Sam’s Club merchants at the 9th Annual Open Call in Bentonville, Arkansas, on June 30. Open Call is Walmart’s largest sourcing event. More than 4,500 entrepreneurs applied this year, but only 330 businesses received a golden ticket, which means they can sell their items at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, and online at Walmart.com.
“Within the next month or two, I'll be on walmart.com,” Hill said. “I’ll be in all the Walmart stores in Kentucky by May. When they announced we were getting the golden ticket, I was so excited my heart was almost beating out of my chest. I’ve been trying to get into Walmart for so long.”
Catrina’s Kitchen sells all-purpose Southern seasoned flour, fish and vegetable seasoning, and an all-purpose spice called A Little Somethin’ Somethin’. The business also caters.
Hill started Catrina’s Kitchen after kidney problems forced her to close her restaurant, Dinner is Done in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, in 2015. Former patrons of that restaurant wanted her seasonings for their own kitchens.
“People were calling me asking: ‘What do you put into my greens.’ I used to tell them I put a little somethin’ somethin’ in it. That’s how I came up with that name. Then I decided if people wanted it bad enough to call me while I was in the hospital, I was going to bag it up and get paid,” Hill explained.
Kroger started carrying Catrina's Kitchen products in 2016. The company's seasonings are mixed by Tova Industries Inc. and shipped out to retailers from there. The business is co-owned by Hill’s daughter Corenza Townsend and sister Lesia Hill-Driver; Hill is a consultant to the company.
Hill said Walmart stores have always been a target for Catrina’s Kitchen so she was excited to make the cut for the Open Call. This year's event had finalists representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They pitched their products for consideration through 30-minute one-on-one virtual and in-person meetings at Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville.
Catrina's Kitchen was actually featured in a showcase the day before the pitch competition.
“They featured three companies, me and two other companies, and I got my golden ticket that day,” Hill said. “But I went ahead and did the pitch because what they were bringing me in for (during the showcase) was my seasoned flour and I have a fish and vegetable seasoning and A Little Somethin’ Somethin’. So, I pitched those items.”
All of Catrina’s Kitchen’s products will be available through Walmart. Hill said the secret to her company's success is the simplicity of its product.
“With our seasonings, you don't have to dip it in any kind of batter,” she said. “It already has the dried buttermilk already in it, and it has a wonderful taste.”
Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves approximately 230 million customers and members each week. It has 10,500 stores and clubs under 46 banners in 24 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2022 revenue of $573 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide.
It's also one of the region's largest employers.
