Sauce Daddy maker story written by founder, Dyllan Russell

Growing up in a Guyanese household, hot sauce was a staple on our table, thanks to my mother's love for Caribbean cuisine. Matouk's Hot Pepper Sauce was a household favorite, but it was my mom's homemade versions that truly sparked my interest in hot sauce. She would also always make her own, pickling peppers and garlic, and other spices before blending them together.

Fast forward to the summer of 2020, I was growing herbs and peppers, and had a habanero plant that gave me more than 600 peppers! I thought back to how my mother used to blend peppers with vinegar. I decided to try making my own hot sauce, using habanero peppers and basil that I grew from my own garden. With my engineering background, I took a quantitative approach to making my sauce, and a recipe soon emerged!

Four years later, we have established our business, completed our first farmer’s market season, and gotten over 100 5 Star Reviews on Google!  Running Sauce Daddy is a juggling act –  I handle everything from cooking and design to marketing and sales, all while working as a systems engineer. Weekends are dedicated to local farmers markets, where we have built a loyal customer base in Huntsville. We have been blessed with a local community in Huntsville that really connects with our products, and we try to return that energy back to them by being available on a consistent, weekly basis.

I make hot sauce because I love it, and because we have a truly unique flavor that everyone seems to truly enjoy. At this juncture, I would consider it a failure to them to not commit myself to making Sauce Daddy something greater. Plus I love the creative outlet that this brand allows me.

When I am not making hot sauce, I'm primarily using my time to learn as much as I can. About business, marketing, sales techniques, graphic design, things like that. I try to make time to play guitar or draw when I can.

My most memorable moment on my hot sauce journey was  Good Friday of 2023. My dog, Hamburger, passed away. His passing really lit a fire underneath me, and helped transform my commitment to Sauce Daddy from a hobby to a serious business. I promised him that I would make it into something greater, and I will be damned before I let him down. In memory of him, a portion of all Sauce Daddy profits currently go to a local animal charity. Last week we were fortunate enough to be able to give the Greater Huntsville Humane society $500!

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is the importance of community engagement. Getting involved in local events has been crucial for building connections and driving business growth. If you want people to know about and connect with your brand, just having a website is not enough. For Sauce Daddy, doing local events and farmers markets was the missing piece.

With plans to expand our product line to include wing sauces, salsas, and herb-infused oils, we're poised to captivate new audiences and delight seasoned hot sauce aficionados alike. Our commitment to quality, innovation, and community engagement remains unwavering, driving us forward as we strive to make Sauce Daddy a household name in the world of hot sauce.