Enhancing Flavors: Bear Creek Rubs provides full flavor gourmet spice blends

Judith Bartmann, alongside her sister Patricia Day, transformed their deep love for cooking into a remarkable business, elevating dishes nationwide. 

Judith, a retired human services educator, and Patricia, a retired consumer safety inspector from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have explored the world’s diverse flavors through their travels. 

Seven years ago, Bear Creek Rubs was born in LaGrange, with Judith eventually taking the reins. 

Now retired and with a grown family, Judith embraces the opportunity to pursue her culinary passion and connect with others. 

For years, Judith experimented with recipes, often finding them lacking in flavor, but through countless trials and discussions, she crafted five unique rub and spice combinations that define Bear Creek Rubs today. 

“In 2016, I felt it was the right time to share our creations with others. I mixed the first batch of spices and brought them to the local farmers’ market and the response was incredible,” she reflects. “Bear Creek Rubs’ mission is to offer our customers high-quality, healthy ingredients and custom-blended spices and rub mixes.” 

Today, Bear Creek Rubs are primarily sold online, yet they also grace local markets and stores across Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska. Judith continues to cherish the connections she makes with her customers and can be found chatting with them everywhere she goes.

Transformation

“In the beginning, I was hand washing jars and using a scale to measure out the spices,” Judith reflects. “It was a labor-intensive process to fill the jars with a measuring cup and funnel, but as orders increased, I knew I had to find a better way.”

Known for her commitment to quality ingredients and custom blends, Judith sought out a copacker in Denver, allowing Bear Creek Rubs to continually uphold its mission of excellence. 

“Now, I can meet order demands while maintaining control over quality,” she says. “Bear Creek Rubs only uses fresh, full-flavor spices.” 

Judith was introduced to the Wyoming Women’s Business Center’s (WWBC) COVID-19 Support Program, launched in June 2020 to empower Wyoming’s women-owned businesses with training and access to digital design services.

Soon after, the LaGrange entrepreneur was connected with invaluable resources to turn her expansion dreams into reality. 

“WWBC empowered me to elevate my sales by connecting me with a talented graphic designer who crafted a website, enabling customers to purchase the spice blends online when shopping was difficult,” she shares. 

“While getting our products into kitchens has been a challenge, collaborating with WWBC’s Business Education Director Christine Langley on our expansion strategies has transformed this hurdle into an opportunity for growth,” Judith adds. “She has been a wonderful mentor, and I can’t speak highly enough about her or the program.”

Bear Creek Rubs offers an inspiring array of spices, from robust steak seasoning to a vibrant citrus blend elevating chicken, seafood and salads. 

Judith shares, “Every year, I unveil three new spice blends, and this year they flew off the table. I also embraced the challenge of creating new dipping blends.” 

She emphasizes quality is her unwavering commitment, and she is dedicated to ensuring it shines through, even in the face of large orders.

New opportunity

The Go Goshen Board of Directors manages the Progress Program, dedicated to fostering economic development in Goshen County. 

This initiative empowers local businesses, nonprofit organizations and municipal infrastructure projects to thrive. 

Funded by Goshen County’s one-quarter cent sales tax, the Progress Program fuels a vision of growth, supporting businesses with infrastructure improvements, equipment upgrades, product development, e-commerce expansion and workforce training, all designed to ignite economic vitality in the community. 

Just before Christmas, Bear Creek Rubs received a grant from the Progress Program, a stepping stone for their expansion journey. 

“With this grant, Bear Creek Rubs will be able to elevate our packaging and marketing, allowing me to devote more time in the kitchen to create new spice blends,” says Judith.

For more information, visit bearcreekrubs.com or e-mail info@bearcreekrubs.com.

Melissa Anderson is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.