Can you talk to us about coming to UC to study in 2012, and then cut to now working for yourself and making hot sauce for a living?
I came and studied a BA, and it actually taught me more about what I didn’t want to do for a job! The reason I chose political science and history was more just out of personal interest because I wanted to know more about those areas.
At some point during study, I became interested in tech and started doing a bit of software stuff. Then I actually decided to try and start a company with some mates... which made no money and didn’t go anywhere. It made me realise that I really did want to start a company and work for myself, but that I needed to do it by myself and on my own terms.
Why hot sauce?
When I was at UC, there used to be a Mexican takeaway down the road and we used to order our food with their habanero tobasco sauce – I would say that’s what got me keen on it.
The difference between the tech and food industries is quite large. Those working in food have a real passion for it, whereas it can sometimes feel like everyone in tech thinks they are going to be the next Bill Gates.
My brother and I made a batch of sauce in 2018 and went to a local market. We sold barely anything, but I totally knew it was what I wanted to do. About a week or two after that market, I emailed Bacon Bros and Smokey T’s. The next day I was in the Bacon Bros kitchen putting my sauce into one of their new burgers, and then Smokey T’s took us on shortly after that. Both of those places grew quickly which forced me to also grow in production really fast.
We went from selling at markets, selling on the side of the road like Charlie Brown, to selling at the Collective at Riverside Market. We took on our Garlands Road factory location in July 2021. It’s still just me and one other employee, but I have a big family who helps out when we need some extra hands.
What do you think is the best part of your job?
I love that my work is super varied. Today I came to UC to judge a burger-making competition with Bacon Bros – it wouldn’t be often I get an email to do that!
On the flip side, what is the hardest thing?
Every week is challenging, but that’s not a bad thing. I enjoy problem-solving, and with the nature of business, things can go wrong. When I look back at each year of doing this, I can see how each individual challenge has shaped us into where we are now.
Where would someone spot your sauce now? And what’s your personal favourite?
The ones I eat the most are green chipotle and OG. We supply to quite a few local restaurants here in Christchurch, along with Bidfood and Foodstuffs. You can purchase our sauce online, in selected New Worlds in the South Island and also at Mitre 10 Mega - their barbecue section their fastest growing section in the store, so it made sense for a product like ours to sit alongside that.
So looking towards the next few years, what are some things you are looking forward to business-wise?
I don’t like to plan too far ahead, but I have a real interest in pushing the local and New Zealand manufacturing story - and not just for our hot sauce. We are going to be expanding out into Australia very soon too which is exciting.
What advice would you offer to someone like yourself, who came to UC to study something they were interested in but were unsure of their career path?
I had no idea what I wanted in life, but I really encourage people to take the time to try out heaps of different things and learn what excites them. Don’t worry about not knowing, you will figure it out. Figuring out what you want to do mainly happens by learning what you don’t want to do.
