The Story of Our Small Batch
 Hand Crafted Hot Sauce

Hot sauce is a passionate affair. I’ve been in love for a while now and the bond just keeps on growing. There’s something to be said for the incredible power packed into all those tiny peppers that when harnessed – truly leads to bliss. I know, I’ve seen it. As kids we would dare each other to eat chilis from the neighbor’s gardens and then watch as the sweat would hit and the fidgeting began. Good clean fun.

Eventually, I would learn to cook by building on the concept of mixing ingredients to create a sum greater than its parts. Chilis brought dinner to life in those days and hot sauce kept many breakfast burritos from hitting the trash can. Fermentation would come later with beer brewing and opened up an entire world of what yeast and bacteria could bring to flavor profiles. I spent five years as the Brew Master for Yellow Springs Brewery making delicious, award-winning beers and learning my way. Fermenting foods was the next logical step and held the promise of a more solid return to cooking. Hot sauce soon became my world.

What can I say? Hot sauce has been good to me and I like to think I’ve been good to it. I love the chili pepper and the way it can be showcased with great vinegars, fresh vegetables and pure juices to make a treat sublime. Using real ingredients keeps me on my toes as flavors change throughout the year and availability ebbs and flows. Experimentation is key and creativity shall never be old in what must be made afresh. Hot sauce delivers on everything, from pig roasts to tofu scramble to ice cream. There’s also a hot sauce for everyone. Whether you keep it mild and clean or like to scorch the Earth – it’s out there waiting for you to find it.

Small batch hand crafted hot sauce. That’s the way we do things. Hand picking, cleaning, chopping and blending the vegetables and fruits. We search out the very best juices and vinegars and they never contain additives, sugar or preservatives. Always working with the best because we want the best for our customers. We even studied the Principles of Thermal Process Control, Acidification and Container Closure Evaluation and got a canning license because what we make and that we make it counts. That’s our deal. I’d tell you we’re not playing but this is too much fun. The road has been long but there’s still plenty of it ahead that I can see from here. So please, join us on this adventure and help us revel in the joy of the chili pepper. We’d love to see your face!

Jeffrey and Tracy McElfresh