WannaRub was founded in 2018 by Eric Strohl, a decorated Navy veteran who served as an Aircrewman and Rescue Swimmer in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm and in Somalia during Operation Restore Hope.
My fellow Navy vets call me “straightedge,” but that’s a story for another day. My civilian friends ironically have their nicknames for me as well but will spare you the details for now. From an early age, the entrepreneurial spirit burned inside of me as I watched my father work his magic in many business ventures. I wanted to be like him, so I followed in his footsteps by starting a car detailing business at age 14, and eventually my own software company in my late 30’s.
I’ve had lots of help and amazing mentors along the way, but my military career instilled the values of hard work, dedication, discipline, and a commitment to always do your best and never give up. Our motto as a rescue swimmer was “So Others May Live.” I never really knew the true meaning of that mantra until we saved 12 crew members from a sinking cargo vessel during my last deployment in the Persian Gulf while battling 15-20 foot swells. Or when we helped the coalition forces find and destroy hundreds of Iraqi underwater mines to clear the shipping lanes into Kuwait and Iraq.
During my 30’s and early 40’s, I started to enjoy cooking, specifically grilling and smoking. I guess that’s what happens when you have three kids including one with down syndrome and need some alone time on the back deck with a cold beer or two. While on a family summer vacation in 2008, my Mom Anne Strohl WannaRub’s Co-Founder and a gourmet chef by hobby, wanted to spice up our menu with a concoction of herbs and spices she put together. As the grill master, it was my job to execute and cook with it. It was awesome; even the kids loved it. For the next eight years we experimented with different variations to create a unique and versatile spice rub and seasoning that was good on all kinds of food.
In 2017 we decided to take the next step and develop a business model for our blend but needed a name. Several weeks later while making dinner for family and friends Eric joked with his wife of 23 years if she wanted “the spice” on her food by saying “Hey Babe do you WannaRub” while trying to be a smart-ass. What came next was that priceless grin on my face like I just hit the lottery. I knew it, she knew it, our friends and family knew it. And so WannaRub was born.
Having a double entendre in the name WannaRub certainly makes for an exciting brand and trust me we are going to have lots of fun with it. Yes, our product tastes great, is versatile, includes only high-quality ingredients, and is better for you than most other products. More importantly however, we wanted to create a brand that people can connect to and have fun with because we know there are lots of choices in the market. We also know that people want to be part of something special, something bigger than just a spice rub and seasoning. And that’s precisely what we’ve set out to do.
We hope you enjoy WannaRub – The Perfect Condiment for all Your Food. So join us on our journey because “You Know You Wanna.”
Eric Strohl
Founder, WannaRub