I started a Hot Sauce company with some help from reddit and will hopefully soon selling in stores across the nation. AMA!

Not a question, just a tip.

I used to work as a wildland firefighter, (among other things) this would entail spending two weeks eating food from caterers while in fire "camp." You should speak to some of the catering companies (not sure where you would get this info or if it is even publicly available, perhaps a local dispatch center(they have resource orders)) to see if they will carry your hot sauce and put it on every table in camp. I personally know nearly every firefighter loves their hot sauce. It might be a way for you to (1) grow your product reach, (2) act as a marketing campaign of sorts, and (3) make some extra $. Best of luck!

EDIT: Thanks for the upvotes. My #1 comment on Reddit thus far, glad it's going to something useful.

Thanks for the tip!

My roommates and I were among those who got an entire bottle sample way back when. It's pretty much gone now.... So where can I get more? We all love it.

I am almost out of my last stock. After that I am not going to get more until my kickstarter is over. The best place right now is to preorder at FYMKICKSTARTER.COM

Just backed you! I love hot sauce, and I love trying new ones! Congrats on the success so far!

Thanks a bunch! I can't wait for you to try it!

What's FYM stand for?

First person to ask this. I thought it was going to come up right away.

But... you didn't answer... D:

What do you think it means? I will tell you after you take a shot at it. I like hearing peoples guesses.

My first thought was "fuck your mouth" as in... it's so spicy (or so flavorful) that it's going to fuck your mouth.

That is a great guess. I tell people Fry Your Mouth and keep it a little more PC

Fire. Yum. More.

Sounds good to me! Happy Cake Day!

Thanks! For what it's worth (I'm not a business person or anything), I think it would be totally okay if you stuck to making just a few sauces (or just one) really, really well. Huy Fong's version of sriracha sauce is iconic and a heavy hitter in all culinary markets from low-brow college students to acclaimed chefs. Huy Fong has only 2 other sauces, so I think they're able to really focus on the few things they do well.

I can only afford to back you $5 at the moment, but I'm hugely excited to try your sauce. It's my first Kickstarter backing. I currently live in Texas and I go to tons of taquerias, and my make-it-or-break-it is always with their salsas. I've had a ton of watery, pallid sauces for sure, but the best ones always were a perfect amalgamation of complex flavor, heat, seasoning, and texture. Some of my favorites have been habanero-based salsas that were intense and super fruity.

I hope you have nothing but success with your sauce.

Huy Fong has done a lot of things well, but I want to improve on that business model if I can.

Thanks for the support!

Start by building your factory in a industrial area with no neighbors.

Yeah, I know that lesson already. I just need to get enough money to build a factory!

so? what does it stand for? you can't just acknowledge the question and just not answer it!

answered a couple questions lower http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/275obh/i_started_a_hot_sauce_company_with_some_help_from/chxsq1i

Hey got your sample in the mail, and loved it. My friends and I were joking "What if its just a little ketchup packet?!". I love FYM Hot Sauce, and I see you going far!

What is your favorite food to add your sauce to? Where are some of your favorite spots in PDX.

I feel like you should be around downtown PDX markets, maybe we've met and don't know it. You're almost a local celebrity now.

I love adding my hot sauce to burritos. I love putting it on breakfast food as well.

I really like Takahashi on 104th and Holgate. Also The Original Sub Factory on 101st and Foster.

Any chance you'll be at Saturday Market shopping for produce or with your own FYM kiosk?

No plans quite yet. I won't have a bunch of extra sauce for at least a month.

Just for kicks, what are your best tricks to get rid of annoying "long term spiciness"? I know it doesn't bother some people, but when I go to Buffalo Wild Wings or wherever and order one of the hotter sauces, I love the kick.

The only negative here... is that I can't get rid of the heat for quite a while... Celery doesn't work for me and it makes it hard to keep on going... maybe I'm just a pussy :D

I drink lots of milk. And eat crackers. Both of those two things help quite a bit. Mostly the constant stream of milk.

I just wanted to say I absolutely loved the sample I received. I have tried so many hot sauces, my bf is always buying them and he loves the super hot stuff that I am not a big fan of and this is the first time I absolutely loved a hot sauce!

Glad to hear it!

I just got the idea of taking your sauce on Shark Tank once you make enough sales, to try to get it in more stores, or even to just use it as a commercial to sell more. Now, if you were in front of the Sharks, what would your pitch be?

Would you believe me if I told you I downloaded the shark tank application today?

Absolutely not. You're nothing but a liar, and I will cancel my order on Kickstarter.

(good luck)

I am telling the truth I swear it!

On an unrelated topic, what is your favourite thing to put your hot sauce on?

Healthy food that tastes bad and boring. All of the sudden it is not as bad or boring!

I've heard bad things about TV shows like this taking unfair advantage. Better research that contract before you sign up. Seems like you don't even need them.

They used to take a percentage for appearing. Now they do not. The only risk is looking stupid now.

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Glad you liked it. I have actually been working for myself and running my own businesses for close to a decade. My father is an accountant and that has been really helpful. There was a lot to learn for this business, but I had a good foot in the door with my prior experiences.

Do you think your company will expand into a bunch of restaurants?

I hope so, I am trying to do that all the time.

Best of luck to the company, man!

Thanks!

Once you decided that you wanted to sell your hot sauce... how much money did it cost to start the business? Talking about licenses, etc. Not cost of ingredients, marketing, etc.

If money was not an issue how long does it take to start selling?

Thanks

There are thousands in fees and licenses that you have to get. It is crazy. I originally thought when I started in November I would be able to start selling before Christmas. I am just now getting to the point where I can start selling legitimately.

Now that your legitimate: how much does it cost to sell additional products. Lets say, frozen chicken wings. Is it considerably less than the startup costs?

Frozen chicken wings are a completely different product. I am okay to do acidified stored foods at the moment. I would need a lot more education on chicken, and every product I make has to be approved by state and federal government.

Is hot sauce going to be it? Or are you going to branch into other realms of saucery...BBQ, Ranch, special, etc?

I would love to branch out into a bunch of other stuff. I have plans for Mayonnaise first, then we will see what happens after that.

Dammit OP! It is in the middle of the night here, and now I'm hungry!

Sorry about that. Time for the mid night snack!

Will you please make a sweet and sour sauce that doesn't suck please and thank you

I will see what I can do.

As someone who can be brought to tears by the upper level wings at Buffulo Wild Wings, how are you capable of tasting such spicy sauce on a daily basis? Is it just a built up tolerance?

You do build up tolerance over time. When I do tastings I have lots of milk and ritz crackers by my side. I still can only do so much before I need a break.

I have no idea why so many people want me to make an extra spicy version. Apparently there are people out there who have a stronger tongue than I do.

Lame question but could you tell me how many carbs are in a serving?

0-1g, pretty sure it is relatively free of carbs

Besides your own of course, what is your favorite hot sauce?

I am actually really new to the world of hot sauce. I used to use Cholula occasionally, now I try every type of sauce I can get my hands on.

Where did you first start producing your hot sauce on a large enough scale to sell?

I ask because I have a recipe for chilli that I have no doubt that people would love. Its better than any chilli I've ever tried. I would like to start selling it but don't really know which route to take.

I found a commercial Kitchen to rent out and produce larger quantities. Before I did that though I took classes on food storage and preparation processes so I could make sure my food would be safe to sell without going bad. You should look into acidified food process schooling in your area and see if your chili meets the criteria.

I used to work at a restaurant who took our city's hot wing competition very seriously. One of the side competitions was most creative. Our sous chef won that with a strawberry rhubarb hot sauce using red jalapenos. Mild and amazingly tasty on wings. It was that type of burn that was so gentile you almost didn't want it to go away.
I guess the question here would be along the lines of what are some "different" ingredients that you have, or have thought about putting in your sauces?

I have been thinking of what fruits would be good in a hot sauce. I would like to make a sweet one at some point. I might try and go with a tropical theme, I really like passion fruit and guava.

Unrelated follow up. Do you know of any peppers that have that sneaking up effect that ghost peppers have? As stated in the first comment, the hot wing part of the competition our guy used scorpion peppers and those hit after about 5-8 seconds. But the year before they had used ghost peppers and they told me they would count to about 20-30 seconds until the heat actually hit.

I think a lot of it has to do with how the peppers were grown as well. I think if you try a ghost pepper grown in Oregon and one grown where it is hot all the time they are going to have different delay amounts before the kick hits you.

This is such a cool story, I have a few questions

1.) When you posted to reddit offering the samples did you expect the response you got? (Probably been answered, but I went through your comments and couldn't find anything)
2.) What are your plans for expanding in the future? Renting out space, hiring employes, that kind of thing?
3.) From your website it only shows one type of hot sauce, will you stray away from the original recipe, maybe even away from just hot sauce?
Just some small questions about the future of the business, hope to see you on the shelves of supermarkets near me soon.

1.) I did not expect the crazy number of sample requests. I thought at most I would get 400 or so, and that is what I budgeted for. I woke up and there were 2,000 and the number was climbing so I had to cut it off at that point.

2.) I have someone that will make my sauce for me. I am going to have to hire people to help me when I have to mail out everything for kickstarter. After that we will see if it keeps going at the current rate. I am in talks with stores all over the place and if I can get shipments to retailers I am going to have to hire someone indeed.

3.) I have other sauces in development. I really like my original, but I have a bunch of requests for other varieties. They might be online only for a while, I am really trying to market the original to stores right now.

How do you get in touch with stores? I sell bath products to some small shops but couldn't figure out how to get my product in retailers.

Phone calls, ask to talk to store manager, ask him who to contact next. There is probably a better way but I am still new to this.

Wanna hire me?

Are you in Portland LCDButtslut?

Besides for fresh ingredients, what are you trying to do to make your hot sauce unique?

I'm thinking of something like Jones Soda, they feature user submitted pictures on their bottles, and little sayings in their bottle caps; have you thought of doing something like that? Maybe you could put a little reddit alien (Snoo?) under the bottle cap?

Right now I have a caricature of my friend and long term supporter on the label that says "Bear Approved"

I am going to have another user that wants his face on the bottles kind of like Jones. He is going to have to send me a picture.

I'll send you a picture of my cat if you want.

he's a cutie.

I will always accept cat pics

I have a hilarious picture of Justin with a mullet that should be on a bottle if you do that

I feel like we should know each other.

I've always been curious how a small company like yours finds somewhere to produce their product in bulk, and with the same quality.

I made a lot of phone calls. I also have to produce a good amount at a time. My product doesn't change flavor depending on the batch size, so it is pretty easy to mass produce. I am also going to be overseeing the production and making sure the quality stays awesome. I was actually surprised though when I found my producer that he uses the same process I do, but instead of 5 gallon kettles they have a 50 gallon kettle. And instead of a vitamix they have huge blenders.

Can I still order some?

If you would like to pre order from the next batch you can go to FYMKICKSTARTER.COM

Hi there. I am a bit late for the party, but I have some advice too. I work in project management for trade fairs and exhibitions. You should not underestimate the food service industry. In the US you have the NRA as the biggest convention for the food service industry. If you ever expand into Europe come to Internorga, which is the biggest convention for the food service industry in Europe, or Anuga for the retail industry.

I know conventions don't seem up to date, but I guarantee you, if done right you will never make more useful contacts in such a short amount of time.

The gun people?

I am excited to get some sauce from you after your kickstarter ends. I was wondering, do you plan on selling your sauce anywhere locally in PDX? It would be awesome to pick it up in the store instead of purchasing online.

That is the hope. I will probably post in /r/Portland when I get into stores so people know where to buy.

How hot (pun intended) do you intend for your company to be? Will you put out advertising campaigns or be happy with any amount of people who buy your product?

I am going to see what happens immediately after the kickstarter sauces go out. I would like to carry momentum to gain shelf space in several stores, but you have to buy space and that gets spendy. I am not sure what I am going to have to do to advertise, I mostly plan on getting into retail and seeing how it goes.

Will you be able to fill all of the orders using produce from your personal garden? What will you do when peppers aren't in season?

I use local farms to source my peppers now. I can't do everything from my personal garden. I do have my own personal supply that I make from my garden, and I auctioned off a couple of those bottles for my kickstarter.

I got your sample in the mail as well. Bravo and congrats on a great product!

Thanks, I will be coming down to Texas for some hot sauce competitions this summer!

Let me know if you come to Dallas, I owe ya a beer!

You better watch out or I will take you up on that.

Is there a way to obtain this stuff in Portland? I'd rather not wait for it in the mail if I can just find it stocked locally around here. Any food carts stocking it?

It is stocked locally at my office and house. Past that not so much yet. I am trying to get it into stores though so have no fear, it will be soon.

I just ordered the 10 oz bottle from the Kickstarter. I don't want it to be shipped out to the billing address I have associated to Amazon. Will you be sending out a survey for us to put our shipping address in? If not, can I send you a message on Kickstarter and give you the proper address? Thanks!

Thanks for the support. At the end of the Kickstarter your will get a survey with your shipping address. I get lots of questions about that, I feel like kickstarter should write that in somewhere along the process.

i ordered you hot sauce on kickstarter and i seriously can't wait to try it.
I love hot sauce.

Thanks for the support, I can't wait for you to try it!

Hey Dane, I noticed that you're just up the road in Portland, OR. My friend and I recently created a start up salad business in Corvallis with hopes to bottle and sell our homemade salad dressings in the future. Any hints or tips you could give for how you did your bottling/what that entailed? Thanks again, and good luck with the future of your company

I don't know how salad dressing works, I think a lot of it is more pasteurized? Anyway, I would contact the Department of Agriculture and get in contact with the person in your area. You could also talk to Mark Daeschel at OSU, he is the process authority for Oregon and you will have to get approved by him before you can bottle stuff.

Have you got any specifics on hand about your hot sauce? Scoville rating, for example? ((I know it doesn't matter much in the end - I've got a 500k sauce that pales next to a 50k. I'm just curious))

As an aspiring hot sauce maker myself, I wish you the best of luck! Can't wait for the opportunity to buy some of your stuff. What parts of the country can expect to see it soonest?

I have not tested scoville units yet. I need to do that one day. I think it is going to be expensive so I have held off on getting a chromatography test.

Perfectly understandable. Are there any established brands you might compare the heat against?

It is hotter than sriracha/tobasco/cholula. Hotter than most everything I have tried that has flavor and isn't just heat for heats sake.

How much does the spiciness test cost? Ballpark it?

more than $5 less than $10,000. I found a list of 3 labs that do it across the nation, that is as far as I have gotten.

Fuck it. I just ordered via Kickstarter.

I heard about your hot sauce here on Reddit a while ago and wanted to back you right away, but I live in Germany and paying 30$ for a bottle of hot sauce delivered from somewhere in the US seems a bit... off? decadent? prohibitively expensive?

But EVERYTHING I read about your sauce seems awesome, people obviously love it and you seem like an all around great guy, so take my money! It's barbecue season, anyway. :)

Sorry, shipping to anywhere outside of the US is spendy. I am going to Europe this winter and I am going to bring a suitcase full of hot sauce to give to Europeans. Feel free to message me then for a re up!

Out of the big brands of hot sauce, which is your favorite?

I would have to go with Marie Sharps I guess. I just bought a bottle from amazon to try it since I heard good things. I really never had a bunch of hot sauces before I started making my own.

I love hot sauce and even worked at a Pepper Palace for a while. My question is what makes your sauce different from so many others? What is unique about your sauce?

General questions are what flavor profile does it have and what are the scovile units of your sauce? I can eat insanely hot things but prefer my every day hot food to be less intense.

Most sauces are made with not fresh peppers, while mine is made with fresh ingredients, so that is a thing. I don't know the scoville units, but it is pretty good. It is not the hottest thing around, but if you use too much it will burn you good. I use it as my everyday sauce.

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I honestly don't know of any. Not to say that there aren't, but I think that is one of the reasons I like mine so much. I have never eaten a lot of hot sauces before I made mine, and a lot of the ones I have tried since are not similar at all. When I thought of mine, I asked myself, "What would I like in a hot sauce?" I just threw a bunch of stuff I liked together and it turned out alright.

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A lot of people message me about their soup or rice.

I saw your success on here and ever since I've been encouraging a friend who makes an amazing salsa to do something similar but I don't know where to tell her to start. Can you lead a brotha in the right direction....

Thanks and I look forward to trying your hot sauce. I love hot shit.

Talk to the department of agriculture in your state. They are quite helpful and will tell you everything you need to know.

Do you ship to Norway? I really want to try FYM!

Sure do!

When are you going to have the ghost pepper sauce in stock?

Hopefully July.

What was your initial reaction when sales began to come in? Also, I tried some of that sauce, it's pretty damn good and I'll probably buy more.

"I AM GOING TO BE THE KING OF HOT SAUCE!"

I would definitely check out selling in the Bible belt, us southerners will give our right nuts for a good hot sauce.

I am going down there this summer!

Hey there, I couldn't find any nutritional information about you hot sauce. Is it low-carb?

no carbs, a little salt. I am getting it formally tested now, it was expensive and you don't have to do it until you sell 50k. I have passed that mark now so it is getting done.

Thanks!

Also, I couldn't actually find anything on the Kickstarter that said what it tastes like or how spicy it is, just a bunch of "it tastes good" and "it has a good spice".

I'm really tempted to buy the $10 bottle, believe me, I'm going to see if I can manage to get the money before the Kickstarter ends.

I don't know how to explain it really. It is hotter than sriracha I guess. It tstes like peppers and awesome. I got tons of reviews from people, I just stopped posting them to kickstarter at some point. No one has been able to say what it tastes like. I guess it is just an enigma of great flavor.

Ive tried to make hot sauce several times but can never get the consistency right. Mine is usually way too watery. If i try to cook it down it turns to goop. any pointers? if it makes any difference, i have habanero, bhut jolokia, and jalapenos in my garden this year.

If you look on the labels of a lot of hot sauces they use some sort of thickener. A lot of them use Xanthan Gum or Corn Startch to get their consistency. You ever use tomatoes?

There are literally 4.23 million varieties of hot sauce out there - in 3 lines tell me why I should buy yours instead of the others.

Line 1.

Line 2.

This one is the best.

I just supported $65 to the kickstarter. Good luck with the sauce.

Thanks a bunch!

How much encouraging did it take for you to decide "I can do something with this hot sauce!"? Was it something you had to be pushed to do or were you confident in yourself from the start? Congratulations on the awesome kickstarter! I donated and cannot wait for July to try my sauce!

I just responded to your other comment and it wouldn't let me post it lol. Once my friends that love hot sauces kept bugging me for more I figured I had a good thing. Once I gave out samples to /r/portland the first time I got a lot of confidence.

I wanted to start out as a small hobby. I always ran out before my next harvest and wanted a reason to make more throughout the year. I figured if I sold like 10 bottles a month from a website that would be enough. What pushed me into trying to sell more and more was my break even point. At first it was a business license and I needed 50 bottles sold to break even. Then it was testing and I needed 100 bottles sold, then 600 bottles, then 1,000 bottles. Once it got to that point I figured I had to go big or go home, and decided to go for it since I gained some confidence.

What is your favorite color?

hot pink

Are you going to sell direct to consumer online? If so, will you accept Bitcoin?

My website does in fact accept bitcoin.

How many Scoville units is FYM?

Not sure yet.

What kind of peppers do you use?

Habanero, jalapeno, serrano, thai, and red chili

what gets you to get and go out on the way to getting things working in a company of your current scale

I am sorry, it is nearing my bedtime and I am not sure I understand the question. My apologies for being sleepy.

First off I want to congragulate you on your sauce! You are living my dream man. I hope it goes really well for you. I saw the last post you made of sending out the samples but I didn't catch the original post. Can you link me to it? I guess I missed the free sample train but I plan on buying some from your site. I want to start making my own sauce and I'm buying some hardware and ordering some peppers so I can start experimenting. I already have the perfect name for it. With that said I have a couple questions.

1. Any tips you would give someone trying to start their own hot sauce company? What would you have done differently if you could do it all over?

2. What peppers are your favorite to work with and which ones do you plan on messing with?

Thanks!

http://www.reddit.com/r/hotsauce/comments/23wucv/i_want_to_send_you_a_free_sample_of_my_new_hot/

Get lots and lots of opinions. I gave out hundreds of samples to people and figured out what they liked best before I nailed something down.

I am already making several other sauce varieties.

I use 5 peppers in my sauces. I think variety is the spice of life.

As someone who was toying with idea of making lots and lots of hot sauce, I have to say I was extremely frustrated to suddenly see you hit #1 on Reddit a couple of weeks ago. The idea of sending out free samples was a great one though, and I could never hope to match the volume you produced. I haven't had a chance to try your sauce yet, but I'm eager to.

Here are my questions:

1. How much money did it cost to produce and ship 2,000 samples?

2. What were the legal steps to get a product FDA approved?

3. What's your secret recipe? (jk)

Good luck with everything, and as a fellow Oregonian I hope to see FYM in Market of Choice soon.

Sorry to have beaten you to the punch.

1. Several Thousand Dollars

2. Lots of paperwork and classes. Contact your state's department of agriculture and they can guide you. http://www.oregon.gov/oda/ if you still live in Oregon!

3. Magic

Thanks

I put in my info for a sample, but never received one. Can I still get a sample? Where can I buy a bottle?

pm me your details and I will see if I can track it down

Are you for or against sauce neutrality?

I am pro sauce acidity. Without it there would be spoilage of all the spicy things!

This is my first reply in an AMA from the OP. I fucked your Mom. Now I'm going to support your kickstarter now. Best of luck!

Uhhh, thanks? I hope you bought her a nice seafood dinner.

You should consider applying to the Shark Tank! If you manage to get on, even if you don't get an investor, the exposure is huge. If you're not a fan of the show, make sure to watch as many (if not all) the episodes first though.

I posted another spot in here that I downloaded the applications today!

Man, that's awesome! Good luck and make sure make sure make sure you know your numbers!

I will be the most researched and prepared person to ever dive into the tank.

Your kickstarter states that if you raise $55,555, you'll give all backers $35...

You currently have almost 3k backers, which would be $105,000...

So naturally, my question is... WTF? : )

added a word. all backers OF $35 and up now if that makes it more clear.

If that's all that was missing, it seems obvious now heh... But still, I'm glad it's clearer for your sake ; )

And gratzies on the 10x pledges.

i em gud at englissh

I love spicy things... As a shriacha lover, I'd love you to sell me on your hot sauce over my favorite brand and tell me why I need to switch!

You don't need to switch, but don't you want to know what the hubbub is all about? Only way to do that is to try it.

Exactly, well I bought a 5 ounce bottle on the website, good luck on your adventure!

Thanks for the support!

What are the measured scoville units of your hot sauce? I usually don't bother with anything that isn't at least a couple thousand.. I want to feel at least some heat! Would consider giving it a shot if it came to a store near me though, will order some if it has some heat!!

I imagine it is at least a couple thousand. Have not gotten that tested yet but it seems like that needs to happen soon after all the questions I get. It is hot, don't worry.

Could you compare it in heat to a common hot sauce? Thanks for answering the question that is prolly enough to get me to try a bottle!

It is hotter than sriracha/cholula/tobasco

Will your hot sauce be bigger, better, badder, and faster than Tapatio?

all of the above

How hot is it?

pretty darned hot. hotter than sriracha

If you ever do any promotions in Northeast Ohio, I can hook you up with a new car. (let me be your salesman)

Good to know, it might be a bit before I can get out there. I am going south for promotions first.

Reddit gives false hope to many aspiring entrepreneurs.

Someone makes a post of a hobby they have and for some reason it goes viral on reddit. Pilot sales are great! Entrepreneur quits day job and thinks they will never have to work their minimum paying job again! They quickly realize that maybe they don't have a for sure thing when sales taper off from the initial hype. They come back to reddit and post pictures of inventory or do IAMAs, anything to garner interest again. It becomes an annoying, hopeless loop. We have seen this with the soap guy and stoner candle guy and many others.

I'd like to hope I can make it. I hope I don't annoy you too much.

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added to OP