Hi there,

Wow, what an emotional last few months. These feelings have been difficult to put into words, but we must embrace our loved ones and speak out against hate. 

Upon reflection, there have been too many times in my life where I have been quiet on the sidelines, disagreeing with actions but not standing up for the victims right then when they needed it most. I promise that the next time I see someone in need, I will stand up for them, and I also urge you to take action towards creating a more inclusive world, free of racism.

On this difficult day, I also have some personal and hot sauce related news to share with you. As of 5 minutes ago, I wrapped up my day job and will be making my hot sauce night/weekend passion my new day job. 

If you told me 6 years ago that at 29 I’d be a full-time hot sauce entrepreneur, I’d laugh and then think that actually sounds really fun. It is, and I’ve had a blast growing our hot sauce community beginning in 2014 and then starting my own hot sauce brand, Craic Sauce, in 2017. I’m pumped to get to work tomorrow morning, and you can expect many more stories, articles, podcasts, and delicious hot sauces coming your way.

To kick off the summer with some new hot sauce stories, we have BOMBANANA! 

These lads from Ann Arbor have one of the most unique sauces I’ve ever had. The sauce has a sweet banana undertone that’s nicely surrounded by arbol and chipotle chili heat and spices. 

They also made a statement yesterday that they will be donating $1 from every sale to the NAACP, which is pretty cool to see from a brand new company! 

Their sauces will be featured in theCraft Hot Sauce Subscription Box! This box of unique sauces is going to be a popular gift for Father’s Day and perfect for summer cooking, so don't hesitate to sign up below!

I’m just as excited to share a craft hot sauce story from Cape Town, South Africa. I met Ard and Thomas through our newsletter last year, and their company Mascoville creates a fine line of habanero-based sauces. 

To sign off with a little homemade fermented hot sauce inspiration, we’re shouting out one of our longest Craft Hot Sauce Subscription Box subscribers, Johnathan. I met Johnathan in person last summer at the PDX Hot Sauce Expo, and we chatted over Carolina Reaper Choco Locos. (I had half a square of Carolina Reaper infused chocolate and was sweating, while Johnathan had 16!)

He continued his passion for fiery heat by fermenting some super hot peppers for about 5 months. He wrote up a little piece sharing how his homemade fermented super hot hot sauce came out.

For those who are interested in learning more about fermenting, I just watched a really interesting cooking show on Netflix calledCooked. I especially recommend watching their last episode “Earth” which is all about the magical and transformative process of fermentation. 

Thanks for reading! How are things with you? 

Cheers,

Brian