Our third and final labelled test product, kicking up the batch size a notch, and refining the core of our signature recipe, this time going in a more fruity direction, adding pineapple to the fermentation and finishing the sauce off with limes and grapefruit for a fresh citrus punch after the initial heat dies down. This was the sauce that inspired us to go official.

After a brief hiatus from the hot sauce game, our friends and family kept asking when the next batch would be ready. We decided to try making a much larger batch—not only because we had actually run out of our own supply, but also to test what it would take to produce a quantity sufficient for a farmers' market. This batch fermented for a month, yielding nearly 5 liters of sauce and filling 33 bottles! Once we had this product ready, and saw how eagerly our “guinea pigs” enjoyed it, we knew it was time to take things to the next level.

Since then, we’ve been diligently putting everything in place: setting up a small business, learning the requirements to run a safe food business, ensuring professional food hygiene, understanding allergens, nutrition labeling, and fully complying with the FSA. It’s been a challenging few months, learning what we need and implementing it all, but the effort has been entirely worth it. Soon, we’ll officially launch our debut evergreen sauce along with three limited-edition drops—all under The Sauce Forge brand!