What Excalibur Seasoning does

Excalibur Seasoning, Co. is a family-owned, private B2B seasoning and flavor solutions company founded in 1986 in Pekin, Illinois by the late Jerry Hall. The company formulates and supplies meat and seafood seasonings, dry marinades, rubs, and custom blends primarily to small and mid-sized food processors, retail grocers, and meat markets across the United States, with a secondary consumer channel served through distribution partners Walton's and North Central Supply.

The company's core technology is seasoning and marinade formulation, supported by a catalog of more than 13,000 unique blends and a dedicated R&D function combining food scientists and culinary experts. Operational technology programs include the Small Batch Seasoning Program (portion-sized bags for 10-pound meat blocks to control shrink and expand variety), the Proper Portions Program (pre-measured seasoning packets for grocery back-of-house use), and Private Label Programs enabling retailers and processors to launch exclusive branded flavor lines using Excalibur formulations. A new 14,000-square-foot R&D Center and Meat Processing Kitchen is under construction at the Pekin headquarters, expected to open in mid-2026. The company holds Kosher, USDA Organic, and SQF certifications.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across one-time bulk B2B seasoning sales (quote-based pricing through a direct field sales team), custom blend development engagements, private label/white-label licensing arrangements, and a smaller transactional consumer retail stream through resellers. Go-to-market is sales-led with experienced industry consultants calling on processors and grocers nationwide, augmented by trade show presence (AAMP national, plus state conventions) and digital content marketing. The company employs approximately 140 team members as of 2026.

Name

Excalibur Seasoning

Legal name

Excalibur Seasoning Co.

Website

https://excaliburseasoning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Excalibur Seasoning is a family-owned B2B manufacturer of meat and seafood seasonings, rubs, marinades, and custom blends, founded in 1986 in Pekin, Illinois, serving food processors, grocery retailers, and home chefs across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meat & Seafood Seasonings

NAICS

Seasoning and Dressing Manufacturing (31194)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Spice Blends & Seasoning Mixes (Dry Rubs, Marinade Mixes) (AFAJANAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marinated, Seasoned & Enhanced Meats (Injected/Tumbled/Brined) (AFANAEAH)

Keywords

• Meat seasonings
• Seasoning blends
• Dry marinades
• Custom blend formulation
• Private label seasonings

Headquarters

HQ city

Pekin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Seasoning, Rubs, and Marinade Sales: Direct B2B sales of proprietary seasoning blends, dry marinades, and rubs to food processors, grocers, and meat markets. Products sold in bulk quantities for commercial food preparation along with private label programs.
2. Custom Blend Development: Custom formulation services working with food scientists and culinary experts to create unique flavor profiles for customers. Low minimum order requirements enable product testing.
3. Private Label Programs: Exclusive branded products manufactured for retailers and processors under their own labels using Excalibur formulations.
4. Consumer Retail Products: Individual shakers and packages sold through distribution partners (Walton's, North Central Supply) for home chef market.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Excalibur Seasoning formulates and manufactures meat and seafood seasoning blends, rubs, and dry marinades sold primarily to food processors, grocers, and retailers. It also provides custom blending, private label programs, and value-added retail programs, with consumer products distributed through partners.

Product overview

Excalibur Seasoning offers a comprehensive portfolio of meat and seafood seasoning solutions organized around four core product categories: Seasonings (fresh and smoked sausage blends, patty blends), Marinades (dry marinades for proteins), Rubs (including regional BBQ Rump Rubs), and Custom Blends. The company provides supporting programs including Small Batch Seasoning Program for 10-pound meat blocks, Proper Portions Program with pre-measured packets for retail operations, Private Label Program for branded products, and Onsite Training services. Their All Natural line serves clean-label demand. The portfolio includes specialized offerings for grocery/retail, food processors, and home chefs through distribution partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seasonings Culinary expert-created seasoning blends for fresh sausage, gourmet patties, signature meatloaf, and smoked sausage creations used by retail grocery chains and meat processors.
• Marinades Dry marinades designed to transform proteins including pork, chicken, shrimp, and seafood with versatile flavor combinations.
• Rubs Topical seasoning blends for meat and seafood displays, including regional BBQ-inspired Rump Rubs capturing Kansas City, Texas, Memphis, and St. Louis flavor profiles.
• Custom Blends Custom formulation services with low minimum blending requirements allowing customers to create unique formulas or duplicate existing products with food scientist and culinary expert support.
• Private Label Program Program allowing retailers and processors to create proprietary branded products using Excalibur Favorite or Custom Creation blends under their own labels.
• Small Batch Seasoning Program Program designed for 10-pound meat blocks that helps control shrink, increases product variety, and delivers consistent flavor with portion-sized bags for convenient production.
• Proper Portions Program Turnkey solution featuring pre-measured seasoning packets that streamline flavor application, reduce labor hours, eliminate waste, and provide consistent batch control for meat, seafood, deli, and produce departments.
• Onsite Training & Education Culinary expert consultation services helping grocers optimize back-of-house operations and in-store display cases to maximize sales potential and minimize product waste.
• All Natural Seasonings Clean-label, all-natural seasoning solutions crafted with simple ingredients and transparent labeling for processors seeking bold flavor without compromise.
• Fresh Sausage Blends Seasoning blends for fresh sausage including Apple Cinnamon, Chorizo, Hot Italian, Wisconsin-Style Bratwurst, Hot Honey, Blueberry Maple Pork, Garlic Herb, and Bacon BBQ.
• Smoked Sausage Blends Seasoning blends for smoked sausage including Sweet Cherry Maple, Bourbon Flavored, Habanero Fire, Honey Ham, and Carne Asada.
• Patty Blends Seasoning blends for gourmet patties including Truffle Butter, Hatch Chili, Gourmet Bacon & Bleu Cheese, Asian Sriracha, Raspberry Chipotle, Parmesan Garlic Butter, and Jalapeno Bacon Ranch.
• Rump Rubs Pitmaster-inspired BBQ rubs showcasing regional tastes including KC Bold & Spicy, Down Home Texas, St. Louis, and Memphis styles.
• Dry Marinades Dry marinade blends including Al Pastor, Garlic & Brown Sugar, Hot Honey Beer, General Tso, Cajun Style Smokehouse BBQ, Apple Bourbon, Tarragon & White Wine, Alfredo, Sweet 'n Hot Raspberry Jalapeno, Canadian Maple Dijon, and Aloha.
• Seafood Program Specialized seasoning blends for seafood applications including Lemon Pepper Garlic, Canadian Maple Dijon, and Aloha marinades.
• Stuffing Program Seasoning program designed for stuffing applications in meat and deli products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Meat and seafood department revenues increase 10-25% for grocery partners
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Walton'scoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for home chef market, offering Excalibur products in individual shakers and packages for at-home use.
• North Central SupplycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for home chef market, offering Excalibur products through their retail channels for consumer purchase.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wixon Inc. Wixon is a custom seasoning and flavor manufacturer serving food processors and foodservice customers, with a comparable B2B custom-blending model and similar focus on dry seasonings, marinades, and rubs. It is one of the closest direct comparables to Excalibur's core business.
• Newly Weds Foods: Newly Weds Foods is a global supplier of coatings, seasonings, and functional ingredients for meat, poultry, seafood, and alternative protein processors. It competes head-to-head with Excalibur for the same mid-sized meat processor and grocery customer base.
• Griffith Foods: Griffith Foods is a privately held custom ingredient solutions provider including seasonings, sauces, and coatings for meat and prepared food manufacturers. Its custom-formulation model and food-processor customer base directly overlap with Excalibur's offering.

Broad incumbents

• Kerry Group: Kerry Group is a global taste and nutrition company whose Taste & Nutrition segment supplies seasonings, coatings, and flavors to food manufacturers including meat processors and retail brands. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities but at far greater scale and geographic reach.
• McCormick & Company: McCormick is the largest global spice and seasoning company with a major industrial flavor solutions business serving food manufacturers. It is a broad incumbent that competes across both consumer and B2B seasoning markets where Excalibur participates.
• Symrise: Symrise is a global supplier of flavors, fragrances, and food ingredients including savory and meat seasoning systems. It is a broad incumbent with deep R&D resources and global reach, competing for the same B2B savory flavor customers as Excalibur.
• Givaudan: Givaudan is the world's largest flavors and fragrances company, with a substantial savory taste portfolio serving meat, snack, and prepared food manufacturers. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities at much larger scale.
• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF): IFF's Taste segment is a global supplier of flavors and seasonings for food and beverage manufacturers, including meat and savory applications. It competes broadly with Excalibur for industrial savory flavor customers.

Others

• Waltons: Waltons is a distribution and retail partner of Excalibur for home-chef products and also sells its own competing seasonings and meat-processing supplies. It is an ecosystem participant and partial channel partner/competitor.

Emerging players

• Kinder's: Kinder's is a fast-growing premium seasonings and sauces brand with strong retail and foodservice presence in meat seasoning and dry rubs. It overlaps with Excalibur's portfolio in dry rubs, marinades, and meat seasonings but competes more heavily in consumer/DTC channels.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@excaliburseasoning
• Xx.com/ExcalSeasoning
• Facebookfacebook.com/ExcaliburSeasoning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/excalibur-seasoning

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Excalibur Seasoning