Fire & Smoke Society

What Fire & Smoke Society does

Fire & Smoke Society is a privately held, founder-led consumer packaged goods (CPG) company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The company develops, markets, and distributes a portfolio of more than 60 specialty seasoning products organized across four categories: spices and dry rubs (including differentiated SKUs such as Cherry Cola BBQ Rub, Black & Tan, Honey Jalapeno Butter, and Thundering Longhorn), seasoned crispy coatings under the Bake Tasty sub-brand, recipe mix packets (gravies, taco, fajita, street corn, chili), and curated bundles (Burgers & Fries, Ultimate BBQ, Sugar-Free). Pricing on individual rubs is $6.99 per 6-7 oz bottle or $9.99 for 10-13 oz XL bottles, with bundles ranging from $34.99 to $143.99. Branded merchandise (t-shirts, hats, beanies at $24.99-$45.60) is sold as an adjunct lifestyle extension.

The company operates a hybrid direct-to-consumer and retail distribution model. DTC revenue is generated through a Shopify-based storefront at fireandsmokesociety.com supported by a Subscribe & Save subscription program offering a 5% discount with monthly or bi-monthly billing, a wholesale portal at firesmokewholesale.myshopify.com for mid-market buyers, and third-party listings on Amazon and Instacart. Wholesale retail distribution covers nine major US partners — Walmart, Kroger, Publix, Albertsons/Safeway, Meijer, Target, Sam's Club, Lowe's, and Instacart — spanning grocery, club, mass-market, and home-improvement channels. Marketing is content-led, anchored on a recipe blog (Recipes / The Society), weekly video series across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube with viral viewership, and a "Join The Society" email newsletter.

Management is founder-led: CEO Brian Taylor, co-founder Scott, Content Producer Chris Salazar, and Flavor Chief Paula Disbrowe. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding rounds and no parent company. It was recognized by Bain & Company in 2024 as one of 97 high-growth US consumer products brands (and one of only 18 food products brands) on the Insurgent Brands list, defined as capturing large category share while growing more than 10x category average growth rate. The domicile is Arkansas, USA, with a single warehouse/distribution center in Little Rock serving all ship points.

Name

Fire & Smoke Society

Legal name

Fire & Smoke Society LLC

Website

https://fireandsmokesociety.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fire & Smoke Society is a private, founder-led CPG company founded in 2019 in Little Rock, Arkansas that develops and sells 60+ specialty spice blends, BBQ rubs, recipe mixes, and coatings direct-to-consumer and through major US retailers including Walmart, Kroger, Target, and Publix.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seasonings & Sauces

NAICS

Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Baking & Dessert Mixes (Brownie, Cookie Mixes, Frosting) (CRADABAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Soups, Broths & Meal Starters (CRADAAAF)

Keywords

• Spice seasonings
• BBQ rubs
• Cooking sauces
• Flavor blends
• Branded merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock, Arkansas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront selling spices, rubs, coating mixes, recipe packets, bundles, and merchandise directly to home cooks and grilling enthusiasts.
2. Subscription Model: Fire & Smoke Society offers a subscribe-and-save program providing recurring deliveries with a 5% discount, allowing customers to set up automatic replenishment of their favorite products.
3. Retail Distribution: Products are sold through major retail chains including Walmart, Kroger, Publix, Albertsons/Safeway, and Meijer, generating wholesale revenue through traditional grocery distribution channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels12 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fire & Smoke Society is a consumer packaged goods (CPG) food seasoning company that develops, manufactures, and sells its own branded spice blends, rubs, coating mixes, recipe mixes, sauces, and related branded merchandise. The company markets 60+ products across four product categories to U.S. consumers through direct-to-consumer e-commerce, brick-and-mortar retail chains, and online grocery marketplaces.

Product overview

Fire & Smoke Society is a Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) company offering a diverse portfolio of specialty food seasonings and branded merchandise. The core product portfolio consists of four main categories: Spices & Rubs (over 40 specialty seasoning blends and BBQ rubs including Cherry Cola, Black & Tan, Sweet Preacher, Potato Slayer, and The Usual), Bake Tasty Crispy Coatings (seasoned breading mixes for chicken, pork, seafood, and vegetables), Recipe Mixes/Packets (convenience multi-pack seasonings for gravies, tacos, fajitas, chili, and street corn), and Bundles (pre-curated theme collections like Ultimate BBQ Bundle, Burgers & Fries Bundle, and Sugar-Free Bundle). The company also operates a MERCH product line featuring branded apparel and accessories including t-shirts, hats, and beanies. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, the company has grown to over 60 products sold at major US retailers including Walmart, Kroger, Publix, Target, and Sam's Club.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bake Tasty: Seasoned coating mix product line including Crispy Chicken Coating Mix and other crispy coating products.

Products and services

• Fire & Smoke Society spice blends
• Fire & Smoke Society rubs
• Fire & Smoke Society coating mixes
• Fire & Smoke Society recipe mixes
• Fire & Smoke Society sauces
• Fire & Smoke Society branded merchandise

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• McCormick & Company: Largest global spice and seasoning manufacturer with broad portfolio including Grill Mates, Lawry's, and French's. Directly competes in the same shelves and category, but operates at vastly larger scale with much wider product breadth.
• Lawry's: Established seasoning and marinade brand (now McCormick-owned) covering steak, BBQ, and rubs. Comparable in marinade/rub products but operates as a sub-brand of a major incumbent with much broader reach.
• Traeger Grills: Wood-pellet grill brand with an expanding rubs and seasonings line tied to its grilling lifestyle ecosystem. Comparable in grilling/BBQ consumer overlap and cross-sell of seasoning products alongside grill hardware.
• Weber (Grill Seasonings): Iconic grill brand selling rubs and seasonings alongside grills and grilling accessories. Comparable in grilling/BBQ consumer overlap and ability to leverage an established lifestyle brand into seasoning sales.

Direct peers

• Spiceology: Artisan spice blend company selling direct-to-consumer and through specialty/foodservice channels. Comparable in DTC seasoning focus, unique flavor combinations, content-driven marketing, and chef-influenced brand story.
• Slap Ya Mama: Cajun seasoning brand sold at Walmart, grocery chains, and online. Comparable in single-category seasoning focus, mass-market retail distribution, and regional-flavor brand positioning.
• Olde Thompson: Private-label and branded spice/seasoning manufacturer selling through grocery and club channels. Comparable in spice manufacturing capabilities, retail distribution model, and multi-SKU seasoning portfolio.
• Badia Spices: Hispanic-focused spice and seasoning brand with broad US retail distribution. Comparable in shelf-stable spice categories, mass-market grocery positioning, and ethnic flavor specialization.
• Kinder's: Premium BBQ rubs, sauces, and seasoning blends founded by a former chef, sold at major retailers. Closely comparable in product positioning, premium flavor-driven brand, retail distribution model, and insurgent growth trajectory.

Emerging players

• Cuso Cuts: Premium seasoning and flavor brand targeting home cooks with chef-inspired blends. Comparable as a smaller emerging seasoning brand focused on differentiated flavors and DTC/retail hybrid model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fireandsmoke
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FireSmokeSociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/fireandsmokesociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firesmokesociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/fireandsmokesociety
• TikToktiktok.com/@fireandsmokesociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Fire & Smoke Society