The weather outside is frightful, but grilling remains delightful

For Marc Morin, the light dusting of snow over West Michigan only adds a little ambiance for his favorite pastime: grilling.

Morin is a co-founder of Roney Brands, a family-owned and operated business that believes life doesn't get any better than when you are surrounded by friends, family and a hot grill.   

The business was officially started on January 3, 2014 and its first product was Roney Rub, an all-purpose dry rub that Morin says is based on a recipe that has been in the Roney family for over 30 years.   

Morin describes the rub as an "all-purpose" blend of 14 herbs, spices and a tenderizer.  It is the first of what Morin says will be an entire line of products for grilling and cooking. "Products in the pipeline include a salt-free rub, (which we've heard loud and clear from customers) and we're also planning on a Roney Rub 'with a kick!'" he says.

Their current focus is building relationships with "mom and pop" butcher shops, local restaurants and farmers' markets -- and increasing distribution: "It's important to us that we work with our retailers so that we don't get lost on the shelf. We continue to get our name out there by word of mouth and leveraging social media, family, friends, retail partners and restaurants."

Roney Brands is one of the many food-based ventures that use the Downtown Market's kitchen incubator as a home base to develop, make and distribute their products. It's a fast-growing ecosystem that is shouldering into Grand Rapids' vibrant startup scene. Morin, who has extensive, senior level corporate experience in strategy, sales, marketing and branding, says that the local food startups should be focused on customers first. "Food entrepreneurs need to learn how to "connect" with potential customers," he says. "We spend a lot of time with potential customers at farmers' markets talking about our rub. It's fun to talk about how others cook and grill out. We get many of our ideas from our customers. We take the time and listen to them!"

To learn more about the Roney Brands story you can visit their website here or their Facebook page here.

Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor