Country Gourmet Home

Country Gourmet Home was already selling gourmet mixes online when its website first appears in web archives in 2007. The old Direct Sales Aid profile dated the brand to 2005. The big change came in 2010, when Shane and Amy Beth took over ownership of the existing company.

The couple had sold mixes and similar products at local vendor events and craft shows before. Shane had started a home business selling decor and wax melts in 2006 so he could look after their two sons while Amy Beth served overseas, and they added food mixes in 2008. Their company story described Amy Beth as a former US Air Force officer who went on to fly as a pilot in the Utah Air National Guard. Shane grew up in Preston, Idaho, and ran the business from there, overseeing everything from label printing to product making and shipping.

“Together Shane and Amy create and develop mixes using their favorite family recipes. Each product is developed with two goals in mind; (1) the finished product can only require one or two basic kitchen ingredients to complete and (2) a flavor that tickles your taste buds with the comfort of homemade goodness.”

Shane and Amy Beth, owners — Country Gourmet Home website, “Our Story” (mycountrygourmethome.com, archived August 2012)

The company displayed a Better Business Bureau seal and described itself as a pending member of the Direct Selling Association. Its homepage stayed largely the same for years, still carrying a 2012 copyright notice when it went offline in 2017.

Country Gourmet Home described itself as “a premier direct seller of high quality, easy to make gourmet food mixes.” The company said its mixes used real fruit and vegetables, contained no MSG and were handmade fresh. Most needed only one or two added ingredients.

• Dips: dip mixes such as Sesame Garlic and Creamy Dill, plus dip chillers.
• Meals: soup mixes, dinner mixes, side dishes and seasoning blends, including a Burgundy French onion soup and a roasted turkey seasoning.
• Baking: bread and soda bread mixes, muffins, scones, cookies, cupcakes, pancakes and cheesecake.
• Sweet extras: jams and jellies, fruit butters, syrups, sauces and smoothie mixes.
• Wax: wickless wax melts and wax warmers.

The wax melts were the company's other signature line. In 2017 the homepage said they were handmade, “developed and tested by us,” and came in more than 200 scents, many themed on gourmet favorites, fruity desserts and chocolate. Customers could buy online through a Consultant's website or at a home cooking show. Groups could also run gourmet mix fundraisers, and a wholesale arm sold the mixes to shops.

Sellers were independent Consultants, and the company's plan names called them Coaches. They sold at home cooking shows, where guests tasted dishes made from the mixes, plus vendor events, fundraisers and personal websites. Hosts earned free products and gifts; the old Direct Sales Aid profile noted a $50 minimum for host rewards and 10% in host credits plus bonus gifts on parties of $150 or more.

Enrollment Kits

Startup costs were among the lowest in direct sales. In 2012 the company offered kits from $5.75 to $59. The old Direct Sales Aid profile described a $5.75 mini business kit with two dip mixes, order forms, brochures and catalogs, a $9.50 pick-your-flavors kit, five themed mini kits at $29.95 and a Top 10 kit of bestsellers at $38.50.

Plans and Pay

In 2012 there were three ways to join. A Basic Coach bought a kit and met a $10 monthly retail sales requirement, with no website or team. An Advanced Coach paid a $9.95 monthly “Build Your Business” subscription for a personal website and back office, had no ordering minimum, and could be paid on up to six levels of team sales. A Vendor Level seller had a $200 monthly order minimum and sold only at vendor events, with no team commissions. The old Direct Sales Aid profile put personal commissions at 25% to 40%, with team commissions of up to 3% on downline sales.

Country Gourmet Home did not publish a closure notice that we could find. The Wayback Machine last captured its working homepage, countrygourmethome.com, on April 22, 2017. In its final months that page announced a team-up with Wine Decadence. By May 24, 2017, the domain showed a GoDaddy parked page. By early 2019 it hosted an unrelated blog, and today it redirects to a parked “lander” page. The Consultant shopping site, mycountrygourmethome.com, and the wholesale site, countrygourmetmixes.com, no longer load.

No successor company or new brand has been found, and the owners have not announced a relaunch. Former Consultants may still have some stock, but new orders are not possible. People who liked the format can look at live food companies on Direct Sales Aid such as Tastefully Simple, which also sells easy-prep mixes at parties, or Pampered Chef.