A local retail startup that graduated from the halls of the Genesis Block business accelerator program has landed in the spice aisle at Lowes Foods.
 
Avonya’s Blends, the brainchild of Wilmington entrepreneur and foodie Emily Avonya Dixon, is a line of dried seasonings made from all-natural ingredients.
 
For Dixon, the “all-natural” tag is more than window dressing.
 
“I have food allergies, and I realized that a lot of seasoning companies do not list all of their ingredients on the labels; they just say ‘spices,’ Dixon explains on the company’s website.

“That limited what I could use [since] I didn’t know what was in it,” adding that she has had allergic reactions to seasonings.
 
In addition to high-quality ingredients, Dixon wanted to add integrity and transparency to her overall recipe.
 
“We list all of our ingredients on the labels, so you know exactly what … you’re eating,” she said.
 
The first two products are based on flavors that are standard fare at her family’s table.

Named after Dixon’s grandmother, Annie’s Season-All is described as a versatile spice that works well on a wide range of dishes. Sentry’s Seafood Seasoning, named for Dixon’s commercial-fisherman father, is an all-around seafood blend, perfect for boiling crabs, she said.
 
The brand will be sold in Lowes Food stores across North Carolina. As of last week, Dixon was still waiting to find out when the products will hit stores. Meanwhile, they can be ordered online at avonyas-blends.myshopify.com.
 
In January, Avonya’s Blends was among 10 local companies chosen for the business accelerator program at Genesis Block, which seeks to “build the small business ecosystem and support community collaboration.”