Today we’d like to introduce you to Ron “Blackie” Blackburn.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ron “Blackie”. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I developed the recipe for Blackie’s Best Gourmet Pepper Sauce in 1996 while growing a huge garden with a variety of chile peppers in south Georgia. I wanted to make a sauce that had a simple, yet intense, chile pepper flavor with a nice consistency and level of heat.
After years of making the same sauce recipe, eating it daily, and giving it to family and friends, I began selling it commercially in 2012. Finding the right chile peppers that were both available and red-ripe was not easy. Pine Island Tomato Farm and V & B Farm in South Dade have been incredibly helpful to my business by selling me the red-ripe peppers at a reasonable cost.
Selling in some local independent grocers, online, and at food festivals, Blackie’s Best has gained a very nice following of folks who consider themselves to be “hot sauce connoisseurs,” or just someone who likes a little heat and a lot of flavor from their hot sauce. With the harvest season running only from January through April, I have to make as much sauce as possible and then stockpile and freeze as many peppers as possible to get me through the year.
Occasionally I have to forgo selling opportunities to ensure I make it through the year with enough product for my regular clients.
In 2017, I hired Family Food Brokers in Fort Lauderdale to market my products to larger grocers and food distributors. With the upcoming harvest, I plan to have a 40 foot Reefer Container that can store enough frozen peppers from the limited season to last through a busy growth year in 2018.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At first, I thought, “I have an awesome tasting product that folks seem to love, top-shelf packaging, and a reasonable price. What could go wrong?”
Well, to start, the harvest season is only 4 months long, and Blackie’s Best is all natural with no preservatives, meaning I must freeze enough peppers to last until next January. Each year, I’ve been forced to limit sales to ensure that my existing customers have enough sauce for the whole year. I have completely run out of sauce a couple of years, and I may again this year.
Finding an industrial kitchen with the right equipment has also been very tough because 100 gal. steam kettles aren’t exactly a dime a dozen. The Miami-Dade Agricultural Extension Office told me four years ago that there were projects in the works with the University of Florida and Florida International University to actually build a food service incubator for entrepreneurs that used agricultural products coming out of Miami-Dade. Nothing would be more helpful for my business, but unfortunately, nothing has transpired to date.
Blackie’s Best Enterprises – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The basic flavor of Blackie’s Best Gourmet Pepper Sauce, and its Xtra Spicy sibling, comes from the massive load of tasteful chile peppers it’s made from. Almost everyone who tastes this sauce tells me that the motto is absolutely right: “A little heat and a lot of flavors.”
Food festivals are the most fun and gratifying experiences for me. I give out samples of the sauce on a chip or cracker for anyone who would like, and the reactions and comments I get from folks, as they try it for the first time, can’t be made up. I became a chef for the love of short-term gratification, like preparing a nice meal or dish that would make other folks smile and be happy.
Giving out samples and selling my hot sauce all day to strangers is absolutely the best.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moments of my career come now whenever I take the time to re-read the honest and heartfelt “Tastymonials” on blackiesbest.com. No matter my mood, those 44 (and counting), beautiful comments always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside and let me know that I’ve got a great product and that I should never give up.
Occasionally, I’ve been stopped by a random person (because I was wearing my Blackie’s Best shirt) and they will take the time to tell me how awesome my hot sauce tastes and how much they love it, as well as the story of where they first discovered it, who they’ve turned on to it, etc.. It’s always truly inspiring.
But the proudest moment of all is still yet to come, the day I receive my first purchase order from a major grocer or distributor!
Pricing:
- Single bottle $4.95 (Online and in stores)
- Five Pack $19.95 (Online only)
- Case of 12 $39.95 (Online only)
Contact Info:
- Website: blackiesbest.com
- Phone: 3057723397
- Email: ron@blackiesbest.com
- Instagram: blackiesbest
- Facebook: @blackiesbest
- Twitter: @blackiesbest
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
