Mix Tape, XXXXX Scorpion + the World's First Hot Pepper CSA

Production update (and probably more detail than you need, but here ya go)
about 9 years ago – Tue, Feb 14, 2017 at 09:07:46 PM

Hi guys! 

Happy Vday to you all;) I wanted to shoot a quick update and let you know how things were going with production. I was so excited to finally have the recipes approved for bottling, but we've hit one snag that I didn't anticipate. There a national shortage on Organic Chipotle powder. Or, at least the type that we use to make a fine sauce.

See, I am a complete stickler when it comes to ingredients. What we do not grow, we source in the absolute best way possible----I mean, we even use locally sourced Spring Water in our sauces. ....so when I went to scale up the recipe for Mix Tape, and buy the the organic chipotle powder we use in larger quantities, I didn't think there would be an issue. When I called Frontier Spices they told me that they do not sell in bulk to food manufacturers (wtf, guys!) and that if they found out we were using it in a large scale quantity for a food product, they wouldn't let me buy it in smaller quantities either (harsh, Frontier, really harsh). So, I started calling other organic spice manufacturers---they are all out of organic Chipotle powder in bulk...more is on the way, but not until next month. Then my rep from Organic Consumers (a distro of organic ingredients for food makers) told me there was a national shortage...I spoke to my bottler, and they do offer Chipotle powder, so I had them send me a sample. 

Check out the difference:

The one on the left is what we use now---and it has a fantastic flavor, and a vibrant red color that I love. The one on the right tastes like burnt motor oil. And, I'm sure if I asked, I could probably get a thousand pounds of it by Monday;) But, it's not going to fly. I could sneak it in and just run with it, but I just can't make a sauce I don't believe in...and I want you guys to love Mix Tape as much as I do! 

Silver lining:  I found two more suppliers that are sending samples, and I should get them by end of week. Fingers crossed, they are as good or better as the one we were using. 

Sorry to go into all the fine details, but I wanted to give you the latest. These things always work out, it just comes down to finding the right match! I'll let you know how things go----and have a great Valentine's Day! Thank you all for being so patient---we are working as fast as we can to get these new sauces out to you! 

---Robyn

PS: Need to update your shipping address? Here is where to go!

https://mix-tape-xxxxx-scorpion-the-worlds-first-hot-peppe.backerkit.com/

Production update (finally!)
about 9 years ago – Tue, Jan 17, 2017 at 10:52:23 PM

Hi guys!

I have some pretty great news---today, I met with our bottler and dropped off the final recipes for Mix Tape and XXXXX Scorpion! After months of fine tuning these sauces, I was so happy to drop these off, here is a pic of me on the way:

Part of the delay was sourcing the right ingredients, navigating labeling, and all sorts of other things that need to be fine tuned before you bring a sauce into the world. But I am happy to say we are finally close to starting production. I am so sorry it took way longer than anticipated, but I promise these will be worth the wait;) 

Our bottler is looking to get us in as early as next week to make our first large batch test run. Stay tuned for more details, but just wanted to say hi and give you all an update. Here are a few more pics of my test batches at Homesweet HQ:

 Thanks again everyone for being so patient! As soon as we make our first larger test run at the bottler, I will post pics. Stay tuned....

---Robyn 

Production update and pics from our KS Hot Sauce Class
over 9 years ago – Sun, Dec 04, 2016 at 11:53:28 PM

Hi guys!

Hope you are having a great weekend----just wanted to give you an update on production, and share some pictures of our Kickstarter hot sauce class.

On the production end, it is definitely taking a lot longer than planned, and I want to be completely straight up on that. These things definitely happen when launching a new product, and we are working like crazy to make sure everything is 100 percent perfect when these two new sauces get to you guys.  When you are making a product that is shelf steady and on a larger scale, it is definitely different than when you are just making a few batches in your kitchen. You have to source ingredients in hundreds of pounds versus ounces, and I am dedicated to sourcing the best ingredients…we even source the water in our sauces (and use only local spring water versus tap). That's how dedicated we are to our ingredients. Just like in our farming practices, we will not compromise and use anything less than stellar ingredients.

The steps involved to source these ingredients 100% organically make this even harder, but we are working on it, with an organic supplier in Portland, Oregon (these are for the ingredients that we don't grow). 

I was also having trouble with the recipe for XXXXX Scorpion----and am working to get that recipe 100% before we submit it to the FDA. Mix Tape I am happy to report is perfected, and I am so thrilled with how this turned out. 

I do promise the stars are aligning----it's just taking a little longer than we thought. I want to make sure the sauces are 100% perfect for you guys! But sadly, it looks like these will be shipping in 2017…I am sorry for the delay.

I am happy to report that all peppers and CSA orders have shipped, and we did hold our two hot sauce classes---so all of the reward tiers we could fulfill already have been sent. 

The hot sauce class that we held as a reward tier was such a fun day, here are a few pics---we have 18 different people from all over the country (and one backer even flew in for the class!) As part of the class, they came to our field and picked peppers, then came back to our commercial kitchen to make two types of hot sauces (one fermented and one as a cooked hot sauce). It was such a hit we are planning on making it a yearly event! 

All Chili Pepper CSAs Shipped + Chili Pepper Sampler Box Shipments En Route!
over 9 years ago – Wed, Nov 09, 2016 at 08:09:16 PM

Hi guys!

Just a super quick update---sorry it's been a while, we have been busy farming, shipping, and working on the new sauce recipes! 

Happy to report that all CSA shares have been shipped, and sampler boxes start shipping tomorrow! If you ordered a sampler box you will be receiving a shipping label in your email by tonight with Priority tracking!

Also, we are fine tuning our new hot sauce recipes and working to get them absolutely perfect----it's taking a little longer than I planned, but everything moving forward.

Lots more details and pics to come, but I just wanted to give a quick update and let everyone with sampler boxes a heads up that these are on the way! 

Thanks again all, and stay tuned for lots more!

Robyn 

CSA Shipment Starts Up Again Next Week/ Hot Sauce Production Update
over 9 years ago – Fri, Oct 14, 2016 at 10:41:06 PM

Hi guys,

This week was quite the rollercoaster---and I wanted to share a quick update, and give you all the latest. There will be a longer, more detailed update going out soon with pics of the class we just held, but I wanted to just give a quick check-in. 

Last Sunday and Monday we hosted our Field Day/Hot Sauce class, and had such an amazing time with a really GREAT group of people. Fourteen Kickstarter backers from all over the country toured the pepper field, harvested peppers and then made hot sauce in our commercial kitchen...everyone made their own custom bottles of hot sauce to take home. It was really fun, and I can't wait to do this again!

Then, soon after, everything came to a halt----we experienced a death in the family, my son came down with bronchitis, and a frost was threatening the field. All within 24 hours...So, we had to take some time to handle everything...and I appreciate your patience. 

We will resume shipping our hot pepper CSA shipment next week, and I hope everyone understands. Sometimes, life likes to remind us that not everything can be planned. And, nature? Forget it;) Our scorpion peppers were taking their sweet old time ripening. Which leads me to my next update on hot sauce. We finally just started harvesting the Scorpions---like I had said in a previous update, the super hots were delayed because of a July heat wave, where many dropped their flowers---and we needed them to ripen before we could develop our sauce to submit to the FDA. Well, this week, we can finally start that process---it has been definitely longer than I expected, but it was out of my hands. 

It usually takes anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks from recipe submission to the final product, but I will let you know as soon as I have more accurate ETA on production and shipping. 

Good news though---our Scorpion plants are doing great, so we will have no problem having enough peppers to launch these new sauces! We just had to wait a little longer, but better late, than never;) 

Oh, and here are a few pics---my son Ajax and Jesse, who works at the Union Square Greenmarket with us, and helped me handplant a lot of these peppers:

And, here is a pic a CSA member shared of his first box---it was fun to see these hit the Instagram circuit as everyone received their boxes;) Can't wait to get the next installment out next week! We have 90 members, and it was so fun to see these go from our field to all corners of the US! Each pepper came with a detailed history, recipes, flavor profiles, Scoville scale info, and drawings (by moi) 

Thanks again all, and hope you have a great weekend,

Robyn