Dedicated to providing a salt of the earth experience: San Francisco Salt Company^®

In today’s generation, salt has become the centerpiece of an aspirational lifestyle. From soothing muscles to spicing up a bland dish, salt is coming out of the shadows as the unsung hero. San Francisco Salt Company^®’s philosophy is to provide simple ingredients that can make monumental improvements.

Noticing this opportunity early on, Lee Williamson launched the San Francisco Salt Company^® in 2002. He achieved his entrepreneurial dream and founded the company based on his principals of quality, value, and customer service. From farmers’ markets to festivals, He shared his idea with everyone through local festivals, farmers’ markets, and eventually opened the flagship store on San Francisco^®’s Pier 39, Fisherman’s Warf. In 2012, he scaled the business into four brands that are integral today: Minera^® Dead Sea Salts, Epsoak^® Epsom Salts, Sherpa Pink^® Himalayan Salts, and Gourmet Salts.

San Francisco Salt Company^® is now recognized as one of the most trusted suppliers of salt in the United States. The team carefully selects only the best quality salts from suppliers around the globe for their taste, texture, and appearance. They ensure customers receive necessary nutrients that are essential for life, and provide a luxury that helps to soothe muscle aches and pains. “We take our salt very seriously; it’s a necessity and a luxury for our health and well-being,” said Lee Williamson.

In conversation with CEO, Lee Williamson

Tell us about your first product that was launched?

San Francisco Salt Company^®’s first products were colorful, scented bath sea salts. The salts were displayed in wine barrels and customers could choose decorative glass bottles to fill with the salts. The product was simple and fun. Today, those same bath salts account for just 1% of the overall business, as we have branched out to include gourmet salts and have developed into our “lifestyle” brands.

How have you expanded your company and product offerings over the years?

We’ve expanded our offerings through the organic process of responding to our customer’s ever changing needs. For example, our Sherpa Pink^® Himalayan Salts were initially marketed as bath salts. We began noticing that customers were purchasing our Himalayan salts, because of our competitive pricing, and using the salts in their kitchen. In response to this, we created an entire line of gourmet salts. We are actively conducting market research and starting conversations with customers to get their honest feedback. We are learning from their suggestions and launching new products based on what they want to see in the market.

Over the years we have moved from carrying scented bath sea salts to adding an an extensive line of Epsom salts, Dead Sea salts, and a full selection of gourmet salts.

Where do new product ideas come from and how do you ensure you’re headed in the right direction?

Our product ideas come from everyone – they could be a customer asking for a new type of salt or someone from our team with a great idea. When an idea comes along, we look at sales, market trends, and production to evaluate if it’s the right time to launch the product and a good fit for the company.

How have consumers you motivated to grow the company?

We pride ourselves on great customer service. Since the beginning, we’ve treated our customers as family. Even today, we are reputed for our attentive customer service. Our team continues to prioritize our customers’ needs and make sure we are doing what we can to take care of them. In return, our customers have given us valuable feedback which has motivated us to give them what they want. Our customers are a driving force behind our consistent growth as an organization.

The roadmap ahead

San Francisco Salt Company^® began with the dream of becoming an American household brand and standing out among its peers. The company soon aspires to double in size and expand it’s branches across the nation. They may also build out the four prime brands separately and create individual teams for each brand to be associated with. “With the steady growth we’ve had over the years, we are well on our way to achieving that dream,” wraps up Lee Williamson.

Roll out the red carpet for the CEO

Lee Williamson was born and raised in England, with a strong desire to travel and experience the world. After spending years traveling, he settled in California, and founded the San Francisco Salt Company^®. With a background in business management, Williamson understood the difficulty that working professionals faced in relaxing after a long day and set out to “relax the world, one bath at a time”. He eventually expanded the business from carrying only bath sea salts to also including gourmet salts.

“Our mission is to raise awareness to the benefits of natural sea salt - to harness the power of the ocean and enhance well-being, from the inside out.”