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Episode 169: Interview with James Olmes Founder of Black Rain Pepper
- Aug 22, 2025
- 2 min read
When you combine the precision of watchmaking with a lifelong obsession for bold flavor, you get Black Rain Pepper, a brand that's redefining luxury in the kitchen. At the helm is James Olmes, a seasoned entrepreneur whose journey from designing surf watches in the '80s to crafting one of the most innovative pepper mills on the market is as impressive as the product itself.
Before launching Black Rain, Olmes made his mark in the world of timepieces. As a co-founder of Freestyle and the creator of the iconic Shark Watch, he helped define the sporty Southern California lifestyle. Later, he launched Reactor, a high-performance watch brand known for its rugged design and bold styling. But as smartphones began to eclipse traditional watches, Olmes pivoted. “We realized that the cost of marketing was just too high, and the market was shrinking unless you were Rolex,” he recalls. “So, we made the hard decision to wind things down.”
Yet retirement wasn’t in the cards. Olmes—self-described as a “pepper junkie”—turned his attention to something closer to home: his kitchen. “I’ve never found a pepper mill I thought was worth a damn,” he says. That frustration sparked the creation of Black Rain, a one-button, battery-powered pepper mill that combines functional brilliance with sleek, table-worthy design. Featuring adjustable grind settings and built-in LED lighting, it delivers precision and style in equal measure.
“We approached this like we were designing a watch,” says Olmes. “We started with a blank sheet of paper and listed everything we hated about pepper mills. Two-hand operation, inconsistent grind, cheap construction—it all had to go.”
From that list, Black Rain was born. Shortly after, White Rain followed—the salt companion with ceramic burrs and optimized output. Both products reflect Olmes’ devotion to solving overlooked kitchen frustrations with elegance and engineering.
And he didn’t stop there. Enter GrateRain, the latest innovation in the Black Rain lineup—a one-button electronic grater designed to handle hard cheeses and chocolates with zero mess. “People love Parmesan, but hate the cleanup,” Olmes says. GrateRain lets you store the cheese inside the device and grate it fresh with the push of a button. It's dishwasher-safe and comes with multiple blade options, plus optional extra chambers to switch between cheese, chocolate, and more.
Then there’s the spice. Black Rain’s proprietary pepper blend combines premium Tellicherry peppercorns with Grains of Paradise, creating a bold, aromatic grind that elevates any dish. “It’s ridiculously flavorful,” Olmes says. “We wanted a blend that makes people say, ‘Wow.’”
Looking ahead, the Black Rain team is developing a new garlic press that will peel, press, and process entire bulbs—no cleanup, no hassle. “Fresh garlic is amazing, but it’s a pain,” says Olmes. “We’re building a solution that’s just as refined and intuitive as our other tools.”
For Olmes, Black Rain is more than a brand—it’s a culmination of decades spent designing products people love to use. “Anyone can make a pepper mill,” he says. “But we wanted to make the best.”
Explore the full line of products and spice refills at blackrainpepper.com
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🎧 To hear the full conversation with James Olmes, tune in to his episode on The Savoir Faire Audio Experience, streaming now.
