Where Does Real Salt Come From and Why Does It Matter?

You may have heard that Real Salt is the only pink salt mined in America, or even that it comes from an ancient ocean in Utah (What? An ocean in Utah? But isn’t it mined? Stick around, we’ll explain that.), but what does any of that matter?

Maybe you’re driving a foreign car with awesome gas mileage, wearing shoes made on another continent, or reading this on a phone that definitely wasn’t manufactured locally, and wondering why you should care where your salt is sourced. What difference will that make? Besides, American salt sounds a lot less exotic than some of those other salts, right? Maybe so, but sometimes “exotic” isn’t as good as it sounds. Let’s start at the beginning….

The Ancient Roots of Real Salt

In prehistoric times, there was an inland sea covering what is now Redmond, Utah, known as Sundance Sea. That sea is gone, but its remnants are a large, pristine, underground salt deposit—which is why even though our salt lives deep in the earth, it’s actually sea salt.

Because it’s been protected for millions of years under layers of volcanic ash and bentonite clay, it hasn’t been exposed to the man-made pollutants and contaminants plaguing the modern ocean. This means Real Salt is pollutant-free, precisely how nature intended it to be.

Real Salt is also unrefined— nothing added, nothing taken away. Unlike processed table salt, it still contains 60+ trace minerals that occur naturally in the Real Salt deposit. These minerals not only make Real Salt taste better, they make it healthier. If you’d like to see a full list of the minerals you’ll find in Real Salt, check out our Real Salt Mineral Analysis.

Also, because we source Real Salt from a single deposit instead of a variety of mines across a region, you can be assured that you will get a consistent, quality product today and for many years to come.

What’s the Difference Between Real Salt and Himalayan Salt?

Now, there are other natural salts out there that seem similar to Real Salt at first glance, like Himalayan salt. And you may be wondering….what’s the difference? If you really want to dive into the differences between Real Salt and some of our competitors, you should check out this article. It provides an in-depth look at Real Salt vs. Celtic salt vs. Himalayan Salt. But for now, here’s a quick overview of how Real Salt stacks up against Himalayan salt, which is probably the most similar.

Himalayan salts are harvested from an ancient salt deposit that was created long before there were any modern pollutants, just like Real Salt. And geologically, the Himalayan deposit is very similar to Real Salt deposit, since they both contain a full spectrum of minerals. Both are considered crystal salts too. However, there is a slight difference in flavor between the two (Real Salt is a tad sweeter, while Himalayan is a bit earthier). The biggest difference between Real Salt and Himalayan salt, though, is geography— Real Salt is mined in Utah and Himalayan salt is mined in Pakistan.

What’s So Special About Real Salt?

So, now you know where Real Salt comes from geographically and geologically, but there’s more to it than that. We’re guessing that if you’re thinking about buying Real Salt or already do, you’re the sort of person who cares about real, clean ingredients and the world around you, so you’d probably be pleased to know that when you buy Real Salt, you’re buying salt that’s mined using sustainable practices, with an awareness of environmental impact.

Our mines are room-and-pillar mines, as opposed to open pit mines, which lessens the effect of mining on the surface of the earth. They are solar-powered by two solar fields, which helps reduce our carbon footprint. We also have a mine reclamation bond, so should the day come that we close down our mines, the land can be restored.

As a Real Salt customer, you’re supporting a sustainable, environmentally-conscious company and reducing your own carbon footprint with fewer food miles. Sure, your car and phone and shoes may be from overseas, but you probably buy a lot more salt than you do cars, right? And just because you bought one thing from China doesn’t mean you should buy everything from China, yeah? That’s like saying that if you’ve ever had a piece of cake, you should never go to the gym again because you’d be a hypocrite. That’s not how it works.

There’s also the possibility that the only way to get the best quality product when it comes to your shoes, car, or gadgets is to outsource— fortunately, Real Salt is world-class salt, mined in America. You can’t get better quality anywhere in the world.

Choosing Real Salt also means choosing a product made with ethical labor practices.

At Redmond, we adhere to the best practices in labor and safety, pay our employees a living wage, and offer opportunities for both personal and professional development. Choosing Real Salt means putting money back into our economy and supporting job growth to boot. And here you thought you were just seasoning your food.

New to the wonderful world of natural salts and want to see what other people are saying about Real Salt? Check out some Redmond Real Salt customer reviews.