THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 10, 1996 TAG: 9601090086
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Business
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
Carefully lifting the oyster from the just-opened shell, Keith Lupton dipped the slippery crustacean into a bowl of homemade sauce and popped it into his mouth.
``Mom used to make this sauce whenever we had seafood,'' said Lupton, owner of Pagan River Seafood, here in Smithfield. ``When I was growing up, there was nothing better than fried corn bread, raw oysters and this dip.''
Now Lupton, 57, has bottled his childhood memories and is selling them as Pagan River Seafood Seasoning.
The Suffolk man is convinced the sharp, robust mixture of vinegar, hot sauce and seafood seasonings he grew up eating is more than good food.
Lupton also sees it as an opportunity.
``I hope to get rich out of it. I've got confidence in this product. People can make similar seafood dips and sauces at home, but I don't think they can make it any better.''
Like his mother, Lupton has always made his seafood seasoning by mixing up a ``dash of this and a dash of that.'' But he created a recipe through trial and error for his retail product.
``I measured ingredients and mixed up several batches until I made one that had just the right flavor. That one became my recipe.''
The heart of the seafood seasoning manufacturing business is the closet-sized kitchen where Lupton and his wife, Beth, mix and bottle the product. A couple times a month, they prepare 100 bottles of Pagan River Seafood Seasoning to sell in their store on South Church Street. It goes for $2.29 a bottle there - and if you want a refill, it's $1.50. It's also sold in Bon Vivant in Smithfield and Lloyd's Seafood in Surry County. But eventually, Lupton would like to see it available in supermarkets across the country.
To help make that happen, Lupton says he has spent $5,000 contracting the services of Invention Consultants USA, a Washington, D.C., company that Lupton says helps inventors get patents and advises them on how to market their products.
Pagan River Seafood Seasoning has been granted a patent for two years, Lupton said, till November 1997. Before then, he hopes a larger company will buy the manufacturing rights to his seasoning.
But meanwhile, Lupton is doing all he can to get it into the kitchens of local seafood lovers. He spends five days a week at the store, where he sells fresh seafood and cooking ingredients, and fixes poles and tackle. Beginning this month, Lupton plans to spend the other two days marketing his new seasoning to local small, gourmet markets. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
Keith Lupton, of Pagan River Seafood, bottles some of his special
seasoning sauce.
The Luptons hope to market their Seafood Seasoning sauce
nationwide.
by CNB