My name is Ron and I’m proud to be the founder of Fartley Farms, a small-batch hot sauce company based out of Columbus, OH. Being in the same city where CaJohn’s originated gives people a certain level of expectation when it comes to hot sauce, but we feel like we’ve held up pretty well here at the start of our journey.

Their journey began in 2007, opening asuccessful restaurant in Denver, CO. The hotspot delighted foodies withhomemade New York style bagels, paninis, salads, and the ever-theatricalliquid nitrogen ice cream. The restaurant was beloved by locals and touristsalike.

Former NFL player and owner of Kyvan Foods, Reggie Kelly, comes on the Craft Hot Sauce Podcast. Reggie shares how cooking is such a big part of his life, mantras that he’s held tight that have helped him be a top performer on the gridiron and in business, and talks about some early business mistakes he encountered.

Like many things in this world, BOMBANANA Hot Sauce began as a happy ‘accident.’ We never intentionally set off to create a unique hot sauce for our community - just to make a sauce we really like. But here we are.

"I’ve always loved to cook," says Joe Stewart, owner of Dat’s Nice Hot Sauce. He explained, "The Datil peppers fascinated me because they were spicy hot with a kind of sweet tang!”

I am a certifiable fiery foods fanatic, but hot sauce and fresh homegrown produce has been a part of my life since the day I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. My grandfather, Roger Baumer, was plant manager and brother to Baumer Foods founder Alvin Baumer.

I remember all the Louisiana-style hot sauces at seafood restaurants in Galveston, Texas back in the early 90s. The high vinegar content made them great for eating raw oysters jambalaya, etouffee, and gumbo.

It all started on Halloween in 2015 when we bought a lot of jalapeños for a recipe to make bacon-wrapped stuffed poppers. Instead of letting the jalapeños go to waste, we created our Jalapeño Lime hot sauce, which is the same recipe we use today.

My influences come from growing up in Southern California being surrounded by so much great Mexican food, I developed a love and appreciation for Mexican cuisine. One of my first memories with hot sauce was noticing all the different hot sauces there are to try.

I’m originally from the Midwest and growing up, all we really focused on growing was tomatoes. Once I got to grad school and a real house, I started a bigger backyard garden, expanding beyond tomatoes, to cucumbers, squash, corn, herbs, and peppers.