About

With the slogan "spicing it up for those who serve," Code 3 Spices Inc. came about as an idea between two friends who love to barbecue and want to give back to the men and women and their families who protect us and help us on foreign lands and on American soil.

The business partners behind the venture, Chris Bohnemeier and Mike Radosevich, say their mission is to support first responders and military personnel through the company’s award-winning rubs and recipes.

Radosevich is in the law enforcement field and Bohnemeier works in IT, but his sister is a police officer, as is his brother-in-law, and his father retired from a private sector of law enforcement. (A Code 3 is when an emergency vehicle responds to a call.) “We have seen firsthand what first responders and the military and their families contribute to all of us,” he says. “We were trying to figure out a way to give back. And we figured the easiest way to give back is to find something we already love doing.”

Code 3 Spices Inc. debuted its website, code3spices.com, on Th., Nov. 22, at which time pre-orders began and will continue through Thu., Dec. 6. (In the meantime, you can follow Code 3 Spices on Facebook www.facebook.com/code3spices and Twitter @code3spices

At least 10 percent of each sale will be donated to organizations that support police, fire, medical and military personnel, Bohnemeier says. They’re starting out with Backstoppers, an organization that within hours of the death of a police officer, firefighter, publicly-funded paramedic or EMT, provide his or her family financial assistance in the way of cash as well as payments for mortgages, taxes, insurance, health and dental coverage, and educational assistance. They recently added Safe Call Now an organization that provides health and wellness alternatives to first responders and military.

The spices will come in two individual sizes including a 6-ounce bottle of any spice for $6.95 and a 12-ounce bottle for $12.95. A combination pack of all three spices will be available also for $19.95 for three 6-ounce bottles, and $34.95 for the 12-ounce bottles. Any orders made during the pre-order event will be shipped in time for Christmas.
The idea for Code 3 Spices started six months ago when Bohnemeier sat down at his kitchen table and started combining spices. “I had done this before, but then I got really serious about blending and making the perfect taste,” he says.

One of the results: the Rescue Rub, which Bohnemeier calls the “paramedic portion” of spices. It’s an all-purpose rub that can be used on anything including soups, all meats, vegetables and potatoes. The 5-0 Rub is the “police officer rub” or the “guy in the middle,” he says. This rub provides a barbecue flavor with just a hint of spiciness.
The Backdraft Rub is for firefighters, Bohnemeier says, literally. “It’s almost the same as the 5-0 but a whole lot spicier,” he says. “This is for people that like a little heat.”

St. Louis-based McCarthy Spices will mass produce the rubs, which are capped in red, white and blue with drawings of three wild boars in each of the corresponding uniforms amid a background of flames.

Eventually Bohnemeier says the company will sponsor charity barbecue events with Code 3 Spices on the menu. He says they’re starting with Backstoppers and Safe Call Now, but the two intend to add more charitable organizations as the company grows, including military. “We’re in product development now with five more flavors that will be directed at the military,” he says.

Bohnemeier and Radosevich are excited with the overwhelming response they have received from customers so far. They feel that once people utilize their blends it will be an everyday staple in their household. They want their clientele to continue to give to organizations providing financial support to injured and fallen first responders and soldiers and their families.