Mike’s makes syrup, seasonings the old-fashioned way
Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher
By Carlton Fletcher
carlton.fletcher
@albanyherald.com
ALBANY — Mike’s Country Store has always been “all about the meat.” But now the locally-owned grocery is also all about the syrup … and the seasonings.
Mike Rogers, who owns the four southwest Georgia Mikes, including the flagship store in Lee County and two in Dougherty County, unveiled his “Old Cane Mill Syrup” last week, along with four flavors of seasonings and rubs that Rogers came up with over the years to enhance the flavor of his famous meats and other side dishes.
Added to his already regional favorite stone-ground grits, the new products further establish Rogers and Mike’s as innovators in the local grocery market.
“When I was a boy we used to go down to the Oklocknee and Thomasville area to watch them grind sugar cane the old-fashioned way, with a mule and an old mill, with the juice from the cane going into a big pot that would later be boiled,” Rogers said. “Rodenberry’s started making traditional cane syrup in Cairo in the 1860s, and after they quit making it, I started looking long and hard for syrup made that old-fashioned way. I finally found someone who did it that way, and we worked together to tweak the recipe.
“We finally got as close to the Roddenberry’s syrup as possible, and we looked into producing our own to sell in our Mike’s stores.”
The syrup — Mike’s Old Cane Mill Syrup — was bottled and labeled at Mike’s processing facility on Philema Road in Lee County, and since it debuted in the Mike’s locations, it’s been flying off the shelves.
“The feedback we’ve gotten has been very positive,” Rogers said. “People say they want that old-fashioned flavor that our syrup has. Plus, it’s 100% natural, with no fillers, additives or corn syrup.”
Coinciding with the release of the Old Cane Mill Syrup was the quartet of seasonings: BBQ Seasoning and Rub, Steak Seasoning, All-Purpose Seasoning, and Bam! Powder, which Rogers said gets its name from its similarity in appearance to gun powder.
“We’ve made our own seasonings over the years, and we’ve constantly tweaked them,” the entrepreneur said. “It just makes sense, seeing as how our meats are what we’re known for. Of course, people say they put these seasonings on everything and they enhance the flavors.
“The old-school way that a lot of these products were made, there’s something about that that just makes them better. We’re proud to offer these products to our customers, and it makes me feel good to see such positive response to the products.”
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