She’s putting a new spin on an old staple.
Lily Dupont ’04 Leedom has come a long way from hauling 5-gallon buckets at high tide in Duxbury, Mass.
Just three years ago, Leedom would drive her Volvo station wagon to the beach on clear, calm days with buckets, a hand pump, and her golden retriever, Colby.
She’d wade out in the water in tall, black rubber boots to fill the pails with seawater. She’d then drive home and head to her kitchen to let the water evaporate.
Leedom was harvesting salt.
Through experimentation, Leedom taught herself how to make salt. Taking old methods of salt harvesting, and modernizing the process with technology, Leedom created a patent-pending proprietary process for what she deems the perfect salt flake. A lifelong salt aficionado, Leedom got started on this path because she was curious to see if she could make a better salt from the bay in her backyard than what was widely available in stores.
“I love the fact that I can be so closely rooted to the source of the most essential food we all eat,” she says. “Salt is in everybody’s cabinet. And I love the fact that I know exactly where my salt comes from.”
Leedom is the founder and CEO of SalterieOne, an artisan sea salt company founded in 2018. Her bucket-hauling days are behind her: Now the company is based at an 11-acre marine aquatic campus. She has direct access to water in Duxbury Bay through an underground pipe. And instead of 5-gallon buckets, Leedom now works with 5,000-gallon tanks.
“My day-to-day has evolved from just experimenting in my kitchen to running a business,” she says.
With the encouragement of family and friends, Leedom decided to set sail in uncharted waters. She quit her real estate job and turned her hobby into a business. “I felt that the risk of not pursuing the salt business was greater than the risk of playing it safe.”
Leedom’s salt differs from the crystalline compound you may buy in the supermarket. While sea salt is made through evaporation, table salt is mined through salt deposits underground. According to the American Health Association, sea salt is minimally processed and contains minerals including magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
Her grains are also much larger than table salt, and the texture differs as well. “We describe it as a fluffy, flaky, feathery salt,” she says. “And they’re each unique, just like a snowflake.”
Her company offers classic sea salt as well as blends. Last year, blends were inspired by the seasons. The Winter Blend, for example, included rosemary, parsley, and thyme. The Spring Blend included a touch of rose petals.
“People use our blends on eggs, chicken salads, barbecue, desserts, breakfast, and coffee,” she says.
This year’s blends are based on compass directions. For example, the North blend has maple sugar in it. Leedom says the different blends are something customers love. “They’re able to experiment and discover new flavors.”
Like many businesses, Leedom had to change operations once the pandemic hit. That meant quickly switching from mostly selling salts in retail stores to selling online. “We adapted and focused on our digital business,” she says. She also saw a boost in sales as more people started cooking at home.
Earlier this year when people felt safer about attending events in person, Leedom’s company started offering salt tastings at its waterfront showroom in Duxbury.
Products can be found in grocery stores in New England such as Whole Foods, specialty stores throughout the country, on the SalterieOne website, and on Amazon.com.
Leedom has come a long way — from a labor of love in her kitchen to her products being sold across the country. She hopes her customers (25,000 and counting) fall in love with salt like she has.
“Salt has gotten a bad rap,” Leedom says. “I’m trying to change its reputation.”