The undisputed reigning condiment in the Greencity canteen has to be: hot sauce! That’s what’s sure to be being passed back and forth along our shared dining tables once we’re lucky enough to be able to eat our breakfasts and lunches all together again. And some of our favs are from Bonnie Sauce. Lovingly hand-made, packed with flavour, character and versatility, and ready to make any dish shine. We chatted to Nick at Bonnie Sauce to find out more:
1. How/why and when did you start your business?
The Bonnie Sauce Company officially started back in 2017 but we’ve been making the sauces in our store kitchen since 2015. We own a Mexican food truck and takeaway (Bonnie Burrito) and the sauces would complement a lot of our dishes. Our sauces were such a hit that customers would regularly ask us if we’d ever think about selling them. That’s when we thought we’d give it a go and how Bonnie Sauce was born.
2. What do you do that sets you apart from other chilli sauce producers?
I think the amount of variety in our flavours. There’s a sauce there for everyone. If you like sweet things then the mango is for you, smoky you need to try the chipotle, spice it has to be the scotch bonnet and a citrus flavour can be found in the jalapeno and lime. There’s so many dishes these sauces go with, not just Mexican and you can find some on our site. I would encourage most to get creative and see what different dishes they come up with.
3. In the world of business, who do you admire most?
The ability to survive and persevere through. There’s been some tough times, especially recently, but the strength to keep going has to be admired.
4. How did the pandemic affect your business?
We lost out on a lot of events with our food truck which we’re only now seeing come back. Our sauces did pretty well all things considered. A lot of shops who would buy our sauces closed down over the lockdown but we saw more sales from individuals as more people were dining in. It’s nice to think our sauces were used by individuals, couples and families over the lockdown where cooking was something to help us take our minds off the situation.
5. What advice would you have for someone starting out as a small business?
Be prepared to work hard - at times it’s not easy but the more you put in the more you’ll get back. Also, be prepared to listen and take advice from friends, family and customers. You might gain some vital information.
6. Apart from Greencity, which other three or more people, living or deceased, would you invite to make a dinner party entertaining?
Sean Evans (from Hot Ones) so he could review our sauces, Gordon Ramsay (get some ideas for dishes with our sauces), Will Ferrell (to lighten the mood), Bruce Springsteen (enjoy his music), Oprah Winfrey (amazing what she has achieved) and then I'd just want a friend or family member to share the experience.
Keep up with Bonnie Sauce Co at bonniesauceco.com To include their hot sauces on your next Greencity order, click here.
