Secret Seasoning Success: Luke Schilling’s Journey from Grandpa’s Recipe to National FFA Recognition
Great businesses are rarely built overnight, but they are often built with a generous dash of family legacy, entrepreneurial grit, and a very closely guarded recipe.
For Luke Schilling, a 2025 graduate of Eastern Hancock High School and current Purdue University student, those exact ingredients have carried him all the way to the pinnacle of the National FFA Organization. This October, Schilling will walk onto the stage at the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis as one of only four national finalists for the prestigious American Star in Agribusiness Award—for the FFA member who represents the very best nonproduction agricultural business venture in the United States.
At the heart of his success is a flavorful enterprise called Big Doug’s Secret Seasoning.
A Recipe Reclaimed
The story of Schilling’s multi-year Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) began decades ago in a steakhouse kitchen, where his grandfather, Doug “Big Doug” Brand, developed a signature, secret spice blend. Though the restaurant eventually moved on from the recipe, Schilling saw an opportunity to keep his grandfather’s legacy alive, taking charge of the business roughly ten years ago when he was just a kid.
As the business transitioned into Luke’s hands, the scale of the operation underwent a massive shift. What was once a small-scale, domestic effort quickly required upgraded commercial capacity.
“We went from that small little KitchenAid mixer to a 50-gallon mixer just to show the size that we were growing in,” Schilling reflects. “But I think the coolest part about my impact is that I’m able to donate all this back to more… to different areas and how many people I’ve been able to impact.”
Scaling the Spice
With a strong work ethic and the guidance of the Eastern Hancock FFA Chapter, Schilling moved the business from local, door-to-door sales within his home community to a sophisticated digital model. Launching an online storefront at BigDougSeasoning.com proved to be the turning point that caught the attention of state and national FFA evaluators. Today, Big Doug’s Secret Seasoning ships to over thirty states and multiple countries, finding fans far beyond the borders of Hancock County.
But scaling a business as a young entrepreneur is rarely a smooth road. To qualify for commercial online sales, Schilling had to upgrade his manufacturing standards, transition to a health-certified kitchen, purchase in bulk, and navigate the sudden supply chain disruptions of a global pandemic.
Even through those growing pains, the recipe itself remains an absolute mystery to everyone outside the family. When asked if he could share any hints about the seasoning’s secret formula, Schilling laughs:
“My uncle used to always ask for the recipe every Christmas. That was his one Christmas gift wish. And for the longest time, we just kept writing one recipe, and it was that we made it with love. So that’s the only one I can give you today.”
The Power of Partnership
An advisor describing Schilling as “highly driven” is an understatement, but he is quick to share the credit with his support network. A unique pillar of his success is his mother, Natalie Schilling, who balance two demanding roles as his mom and his Eastern Hancock agricultural educator and FFA advisor.
Natalie serves as the secretary on the Big Doug’s Secret Seasoning business board and continues to help package and manage logistics while Luke is away studying at Purdue.
“She has also been so helpful in our business,” Schilling says. “My mom, right now while I’m at college, is helping fill out some labeling orders and different things like that. She’s been the kind of go-to when she orders the labels, our bottles, our boxes… She doesn’t get enough credit where it is right now, but she helps a lot from that end.”
A Purpose Beyond Profit
What truly separates Schilling’s agribusiness venture from a typical high school business is its structure. Big Doug’s Secret Seasoning operates entirely as a non-profit organization. Every single dollar generated by the seasoning is reinvested right back into local and global communities—sponsoring children through World Vision and Compassion International, supporting local food pantries, and funding local FFA and 4-H programs.
It is this profound, community-first business model that Schilling hopes will resonate with the national judges when he competes for the American Star in Agribusiness title this October in Indianapolis.
As he prepares for the ultimate stage of agricultural youth leadership, Luke Schilling remains grounded in the legacy that started it all, eager to share his grandfather’s memory and a message of hope with the entire country.
To support the cause and taste the seasoning yourself, visit BigDougSeasoning.com.
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