It’s getting hotter in Hespeler.
With cooler temperature outside, now may be the time to add a little extra heat to your cooking.
Hellspeler Pepper Company has been heating up the insides of hot sauce lovers since 2017 and is committed to producing a variety of hot sauces, locally.
The small batch sauce and spice business, owned and operated by husband and wife team Jenn and Colin Kevan, began with a simple love of growing peppers.
“We were growing peppers at home and once we started, we thought, what are we going to do with all of these peppers,” said Colin Kevan.
“I’ve always found peppers and hot sauces intriguing, so we decided to make hot sauce for friends and family, and they just loved it.”
Demand grew and so did the family garden. The couple began selling their hot sauce at local markets.
“We started off at the Hespeler Village Market,” Jenn Kevan says.
“But then we soon learned that there was much more to making a product for the public.”
Along with leasing a commercially inspected kitchen, and having their fiery concoctions approved, Hellspeler Pepper Company began and today offers a wide variety of hot sauces to suit any palette, from mild, to medium, and hot.
“We have three 'flagship sauces.'"
For those not ready to dive into a fiery frenzy, Hellspeler Pepper Company offers ‘Training Wheels’ mild sauce. ‘Hot Rod Habenero’ is a medium hot sauce. And ‘Hellion Scorpion’ hot sauce, is the ideal choice for those who just like it hot.
“Another popular sauce that we offer is the ‘Carbonaro Pepper and Roasted Garlic Sauce’ which has a medium heat,” Colin said.
Hellspeler Pepper Company also offers a hot pepper salt, 'Grains of Pain'.
“This just happened organically from having too many peppers and infusing them into a coarse salt. People thought this was incredible,” Colin said.
“It’s amazing how hot one grain of salt can be.”
The key for Hellspeler Pepper Company is to make small batches using different peppers.
“It depends on the pepper harvest but usually, we make about 100 bottles of sauce per batch,” Jenn says.
“We have a variety of small batches with fresh flavours. The peppers are grown and processed so the sauce is always fresh.”
Colin says all sauces contain pure peppers.
“We do not use any pepper extracts as in some other sauces that give an extra paranormal heat. We use whole peppers and all the pods,” he says.
Sauces can be used in everything including marinades and salads.
“There’s a sauce for everyone,” Jenn says.
“The heat will light you up, but not over the top, unless you keep adding more.”
Colin says he has not entered any hot sauce contests, but just might in the future.
"We haven't entered any competitions as of yet. There is the London Hot Sauce Show and on a global scale, there's a big one in England too," Colin said.
With the holiday season just around the corner, Hellspeler Pepper Company is busy making the rounds to various markets and events.
“When COVID-19 hit last year, thankfully, word-of-mouth kept us rolling, especially during the Christmas holidays. Now, this year, being back at the markets again, it feels great,” Colin said.
Since its’ beginning, Hellspeler Pepper Company has grown into a family affair.
“Colin designs all of the labels and our daughter helps. The graphic design is all done in-house,” Jenn said.
Colin says "being local" is at the core of Hellspeler Pepper Company.
“It’s in the roots of what we do, and we love to do it in Hespeler. We started out going to markets in the neighborhood,” Colin says.
“People love that we are local. We both work full-time. This is our side hustle, but we love the people and hearing about what they love about the sauce. We want this to grow organically. We love growing our own peppers, being locally focused, and supporting the local supply chain.”
Hot sauces from Hellspeler Pepper Company can be purchased on its website and can be found at various locations including Ernie’s Roadhouse, Rhythm and Brews Brewing Company, Wave Maker Brewery, MH Fine Foods, Murray’s Farm Butcher Shoppe in Hamilton, and O&V Tasting Room in Elmira.
“We love to hear people say that they love our sauce and that it now sits in their condiment caddies at home,” Colin said.
“People love that our sauce is made locally. They love Hellspeler.”
For more information, visit Facebook & Instagram: @hellspelerpepperco and
