WARE — Not only are Jason and Shannon Green a “match made in heaven” with two beautiful daughters, they’re one “wicked” business match, too.
The Greens, of Ware, are creators and owners of Jay’s Wicked Gourmet Sauce. Their company produces and markets over six different varieties of small batch gourmet barbecue and hot sauces. Ingredients are locally sourced, and they happily omit gluten ingredients and preservatives. All of their products’ packaging is sustainable.
“What makes our family business a success is that we both have separate sets of strengths and weaknesses,” Shannon Green says. “We make a really great team.”
She earned her business degree from Anna Maria College, while her husband graduated from the laser electronics and technology program at Springfield Technical Community College. But his true passion is in food creation, and he worked as a chef at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware for many years.
The birth of his first, original barbecue sauce made quite the impression on friends, family and colleagues.
“Our friends started asking if they could have squeeze bottles filled with my sauce, and that’s when we realized how much people enjoyed it,” Jay Green says. “Shannon has a great entrepreneurial spirit, and she’s the one who encouraged us to start this business.”
The couple went straight to work, becoming members of the Franklin Country Community Development Corp. and gaining access to the Food Processing Center of Western Massachusetts in Greenfield. It’s there that they produce their products.
“We schedule a day each month to produce certain sauces, and we utilize their amazing team to help us,” Shannon Green explains. “They are awesome, and we’ve been working with them for five years now.”
The processing center has all the equipment the Greens and many other small, food-related businesses in the region need to produce their products.
“Our sauces have no chemicals, no high fructose corn syrup – only the good stuff,” Shannon Green says of the Jay’s Wicked line. All of their recipes are top secret, and they get as many local ingredients as possible. “There are a few farms in the area that we get our peppers from, as well as local ginger, turmeric and horseradish for our cider tonic,” she adds.
The 2020 farming season was challenging because of weather and the extended drought. Still, each year can present challenges, Jay Green notes, as hot peppers are very delicate and need to be harvested before frost.
During an average year, the Greens produce up to 100 gallons of sauce during each monthly visit to the food processing center. The year of the coronavirus pandemic, however, saw their online sales go up considerably, according to the Greens.
“I’m so glad we had multiple sales channels in 2020,” Jay Green says. “Because we didn’t attend any events, our internet orders picked up, and we were able to sell more products at local stores.”
“We believe the pandemic allowed people to pay more attention to small businesses,” Shannon Green adds. “We’ve tried to be very present in our community. I feel like if you can give back to your community, they give back to you.”
Jay’s Wicked Gourmet sauces can be found in 30 different retail locations around Western Massachusetts, including Big Y stores, Atkins Farms Country Market in Amherst, Arnold’s Meats’ two stores and more. Their sauces are also on the menu at a few area restaurants, as well as some restaurants in the Boston area.
In 2019, Jay’s Wicked Gourmet Sauce was among the vendors inside the Massachusetts State Building located on the Avenue of States at the Eastern States Exposition. “Being a part of the Big E was an awesome experience, and we look forward to doing it again,” Shannon Green says.
Looking ahead, the Greens hope to roll out new dry rubs, and sugar-free versions of their cider tonic and original barbecue sauce. To learn more about Jay’s Wicked Gourmet Sauce, go to the website, jayswicked.com, or visit the Facebook page, Facebook.com/jayswicked.
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