Griffin Prough’s fridge was lined with half gallon tubs of mustard batches that were never quite right. Some tubs were too spicy, some too sweet and others too acidic.
“We made a lot of meat and breads, anything we can use mustard on,” Prough said. “We weren’t able to finish it.”
While mustard is the food science junior’s favorite condiment, Prough’s fridge was filled with mustard for a different reason. Prough is one of the students involved in bringing back “Smooth Mustard,” one of Cal Poly’s several student-made products.
Smooth Mustard began as a senior project in 2021 and was initially sold on campus in 2022 while supplies lasted. This year, Prough and food science senior Connor Haslinger have worked to bring it back on the market.
The reformulated Smooth Mustard is expected to hit shelves in Winter 2024 and will be sold for $14 a jar at the University Store, Village Market, Campus Market and select stores downtown.
Smooth Mustard is made of ground mustard seed, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and a blend of spices which Prough refused to disclose in order to protect the recipe.
The mustard seed – supplied by ABCo Laboratories which supplies other dry ingredients used in Cal Poly products, according to Prough – is similar in quality to that of which is used in Dijon mustard.
“It’s really nice actually, really high quality ground mustard,” Prough said.
There was a lot of trial and error involved in finding the right combination of ingredients to make the perfect mustard.
Molly Lear, the food science and nutrition operations manager, said she enjoyed watching her students become more confident in themselves as they went through this process.
“By far my favorite part is just watching everybody grow,” she said.
Whenever they made a batch that wasn’t up to their standards, Prough and Haslinger would bring it home.
“It was like an insane quantity of mustard that we were eating,” Haslinger said.
While Prough was unable to finish all the mustard he brought home, Haslinger and his roommates finished it in a matter of weeks.
“It was, I don’t know, a half gallon worth, and like half of that was just pure mustard seed, so not good for the digestive system,” Haslinger said when describing the first batch they made.
After months of testing different concentrations of the ingredients, the product was perfected and ready for the next step.
This new Smooth Mustard formula was sent to UC Davis for testing to ensure it met FDA food safety standards.
Once the formula was approved, Prough and Haslinger were able to start production.
Ingredients are mixed in a shear mixer then jarred and capped using a steam capper. The mustard is cold-filled, which means it doesn’t have to be heated before being put in the jars.
By the end of October 2023 they produced 300 jars of mustard, according to Prough.
“We have the cases of actual product ready to be sold, they just need to be labeled. So in terms of our smooth mustard, it’s a finalized product, which is fun,” Prough said.
In the future, there is potential for different mustard flavors, but for now they just have the original flavor.
“I think we definitely could have more flavors, but it’s about how many get purchased,” Prough said.
For more information on how to get involved with the pilot plant and student-made products, students can contact Molly Lear at lear@calpoly.edu. Lear recommends students send their schedule, a resume and why they’re interested in getting involved with the program.
