HOW KIKI GOT
‘FLUSTERED’
Dunmore-based brand puts twist on pantry staple
For Kristen “Kiki” Langan, a culinary fluke
led to a booming business.
“Mustard was always my go-to snack
on carrots, because it keeps the more
unhealthy options at bay,” she recalled.
“I thought to myself, ‘How hard
could it be to make?’ and decided to
experiment with different recipes, but
they all lacked texture.”
Langan’s search for that elusive
ingredient led her to her kitchen
cupboard, where she spotted a can of
chickpeas.
“Chickpeas don’t have an overwhelming
flavor, so I knew their addition wouldn’t
take away from the recipe I created,” she
said. “The chickpeas have been one of
the most notable risks of my mustard-
making journey.”
Langan’s journey took her from
Colorado, where she made her fateful
culinary discovery, back home to
northeastern Pennsylvania, as well as
from giving her product away to friends
and family to establishing her own
business, with the addition of several
new flavors, such as “The OG” (original
flavor), “Smokey Peppers Mustard Dip,”
and “Taste Bud Terminator.”
4 • The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
“We try to take people on a little
flavor journey,” she said. “We want
our flavors to excite the palate and
give people the opportunity to
explore their culinary abilities and
use our product in ways that are just
as unique as our flavors.”
“People have an expectation about
what mustard is going to — or should
— taste like,” she continued. “Famous
last words I hear a lot are, ‘I don’t like
mustard.’ Everyone has a preference and
I totally respect that, but when someone
tastes our mustard, the response is
usually, ‘Oh yeah, I can eat that.’ We
break the craft mustard mold because we
take taste bud expectations, turn them
on their heads, and bring something new
to people’s plates.”
For Langan, it’s the opportunity to
introduce people to something new that
brings her the most pride in her business.
“My greatest joy is seeing people try
Kiki’s Flustered Mustard for the first
time, seeing their surprise at the flavors
or texture and then seeing them smile,
that’s what it’s all about,” she said.
“When you can bring happiness to
someone with something you’ve made,
that’s a true privilege.”
Kristen “Kiki” Langan,
For more information, visit
kikisflusteredmustard.com.