For Jesse Long, a graduate of Fanshawe’s Computer Systems Technology program, life has been about finding things that make him feel “fired up.” After building a successful career in information technology, he decided to change directions and pursue his passion—building a business to sell his own brand of hot sauce.
Project Summary
In 2019, Jesse started his own company, The Hot Sauce Co. At first, he cooked out of his home kitchen using rudimentary tools, including a pancake batter dispenser to bottle the sauce, and sold his product at farmer’s markets.
In summer 2020, Jesse enrolled in LeapIN Business Accelerator—a program through Fanshawe's entrepreneurship centre, Leap Junction. LeapIn provides workshops, hands-on learning, networking and funding for entrepreneurs looking to take their business to the next level.
“We learned everything we needed to know about how to run a business,” says Jesse. “LeapIN played a big part in my success. The funding they provided allowed me to invest in equipment that took me from making 35 bottles of sauce per hour to 250 per hour.”
The Challenge
As business continued to grow, Jesse wanted to take his company to the next level. Fanshawe’s Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) was key to unlocking this growth. With a focus on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises with research and development (R&D), CRI specializes in product development, proof-of-concept testing and quality assurance.
The Hot Sauce Co. reached out to us for assistance with analyzing their production process and identifying opportunities to scale up the business. We provided a feasible scale-up solution to increase capacity while ensuring consistency of product quality.
The Solution
“The Hot Sauce Co. reached out to us for assistance with analyzing their production process and identifying opportunities to scale-up the business,” says Mustafa Khdair, industry development coordinator and research associate at CRI. “We provided a feasible scale-up solution to increase capacity while ensuring consistency of product quality.”
“The team went through every step of the process and calculated costs to find efficiencies,” says Jesse. “Their solution was a bottling system that will make a big difference in reducing waste.”
Hot Sauce Co. sauces are now sold at more than 50 stores and restaurants across Ontario, as well as online at thehotsauceco.com.
This work was funded by SONAMI, a FedDev-supported network that supports R&D activities for manufacturing companies in southwestern Ontario.
The team went through every step of the process and calculated costs to find efficiencies. Their solution was a bottling system that will make a big difference in reducing waste
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