I’ve been a hot sauce fan for a long time. I’ve been that guy who asks, “What’s the spiciest dish you have!” at a restaurant. I’ve eaten things that instantly regretted and I’ve experienced how hot sauce can elevate flavor in a way that nothing else can.

Maybe fifteen years ago or so, a friend came over to cook and he brought a “Make Your Own Hot Sauce” kit he had been given. It had all the ingredients right in the box. We made a couple. One of them was a total disaster, but the other one was pretty good. We called it “Tony’s Red Sweatshirt” after the best man in my wedding. After that, I didn’t really think about making hot sauce until last year.

It was sometime in early April, about a year ago, actually, and there I was in the grocery store looking at a lot of full baskets of peppers. “How hard could it be?” And I grabbed a bunch. It took some time to lock things in and find the flavors I really wanted to make.

Then came Thanksgiving and Christmas 2024. I made a dip for a work potluck that was topped with cranberry sauce and chopped jalapeños and that was all the inspiration I needed. I bought a bunch of cranberries and jalapeños and spent my birthday weekend experimenting. The result was insane. I had 8 bottles and took them to work and the sauce was a hit. Within a week, I had orders in hand for 2025.

After that, I zeroed in on each of our first three signature flavors and by National Hot Sauce Day (Jan 22 for those who aren’t real hot sauce fans), I had a couple dozen of each and started selling at work. Within a month I’d sold at two events and got the LLC.

And it has been a ride ever since!