Tastefully Simple

Tastefully Simple was founded in June 1995 in Alexandria, Minnesota by Jill Blashack Strahan, with Joani Nielson as a founding partner. Jill was running a gift basket business and noticed that her customers cared more about the food inside the baskets than the baskets themselves. So she started selling those foods at relaxed taste-testing parties in people's homes. The company began in a shed with no running water, a story she still tells on its website.

Thirty years later it is still in Alexandria, and Jill is still Founder and CEO. The company describes itself as woman-owned and woman-run, says 100% of its food is made in the USA, and says it has donated more than $7 million to local and national causes since 1995. Its own site says it has thousands of independent sellers across the United States.

Initials Inc. In June 2022 Tastefully Simple announced a business relationship with Initials Inc., a Georgia party-plan company that sold personalized bags and totes. The Initials sellers, nearly 2,000 of them according to the Echo Press, moved over to Tastefully Simple, Initials founder Britney Vickery joined as Chief Business Development Officer, and the Initials brand was dissolved.

The 2025 relaunch. In December 2024 the company announced its biggest change. From January 1, 2025 its sellers became TS Ambassadors. New Ambassadors no longer sponsor or build teams. They share products through shopping links, social media and in-person gatherings, and hosts still earn rewards. A small group of heritage Diamond and Gold Ambassadors kept the ability to build first-line teams.

We have been doing this for 30 years, and we plan to be here for 30 more years and beyond.

Jill Blashack Strahan, Founder and CEO, Tastefully Simple — Echo Press, December 2024

Products. The catalog covers breads and soups, dips and appetizers, seasonings, sauces, dressings and oils, desserts and baking, drinks, breakfast and kitchenware, plus bundles and gifts. Bountiful Beer Bread Mix, Onion Onion seasoning and Bacon Bacon are the long-running favorites. The company says 85% of its foods are clean label under its TS EatWell standard and that most products need two store-bought ingredients or fewer. Everything is backed by a “love it” guarantee, and the site has thousands of free recipes.

There is no physical starter kit any more. Instead, TS Ambassadors pay a membership: $5.99 a month, or $65.89 a year (which the company says gives you one month free). You stay active as long as the membership is paid. There is no monthly sales minimum.

For that you get a personal shopping link you can use right away, a welcome packet, training through TS Studio, shareable social graphics, a referral link, phone and chat support, and the TS Hub back office for ordering products, samples and supplies and for setting up Experiences. New Ambassadors also get $10 off a $60 or larger order in their first 30 days. Samples and party supplies are bought separately, so budget for those if you plan to hold tastings.

This replaces the old kits. Earlier versions of this profile listed a $170 Business Blast Off Kit and an $89 Just a Taste of Business Kit; those no longer exist.

Tastefully Simple launched its current plan on January 1, 2025. It has three parts.

Commission on your own sales. Commission starts once you reach $50 in monthly sales. The company's 2026 earnings sheet shows 10% of sales at $50, 25% at $1,000, 30% at $3,000, 35% at $5,000 and 40% at $7,000 or more. Between $250 and $750 a month the sheet lists flat cash amounts instead ($50, $125 and $175). Commission is paid twice a month. The company says an Experience (a party, tasting or pop-up) averaged $604 in sales in 2025.

Fast start. New Ambassadors can earn up to $200 in free product in their first 10 weeks, in steps from a $25 bundle at $250 in sales to a $200 bundle at $2,000.

Referral rewards. When someone enrolls through your referral link, you can earn Referral Cash on their first 30 days of sales, from $10 to $250. If you sell $1,000 or more yourself in a month, you earn a 2% Referral Commission on your community's sales. A six-month Referral Bonus pays for four or more new enrollments. There are no rank levels or deep team overrides for new Ambassadors. The brochure also mentions a chance to earn a trip and recognition.

Tastefully Simple says it does not guarantee earnings, and it said it would publish average Ambassador earnings under this plan in 2026. Check the company's current compensation plan and income disclosure at tastefullysimple.com/tsincome before you join.

PROS

• Very low cost to start: $5.99 a month, with no kit to buy
• No monthly sales quota
• Food sells well at parties because guests can taste it first
• 30-year-old company with a well-known founder still in charge
• Simple plan with no pressure to recruit

CONS

• The monthly fee adds up if you are not selling
• Commission is only 10% until you sell $1,000 or more in a month
• New Ambassadors cannot build a team or earn leadership income
• Samples and tasting supplies cost extra
• Average earnings under the 2025 plan had not been published at the time of writing