* What: Hot sauce
* Company: Señor Shan’s Hot Sauce
* Address: 711 Signal Mountain Road, suite 181.
* Website: www.senorshan.com
* Telephone: 667-8064.
* Owners: Shan and Emily Webb
* What’s special: Señor Shan’s sauces are hand crafted in small batches using 100 percent natural ingredients, no preservatives or food coloring. Mr. Webb said this is a “seed to sauce” process, from growing the plants from seed to self-bottling. The 60-80 plants are grown in small, urban gardens.
* The origin story: The Webbs’ four sauce recipes were developed over four years through experimenting for their friends. “We’ve grown very organically, as far as not jumping in full throttle at the very beginning,” he said.
* How long does it take to make: Growing time of 100-110 days, from seed to ripe peppers. A batch of 150 bottles takes 10-12 hours. Batches are produced every two weeks.
* Where it’s sold: Chattanooga Market, Good Dog, Blacksmith’s Bar and Bistro (St. Elmo), Cafe on the Corner (Lookout Mountain) and The Old Mill General Store (Chickamauga).
* How long have they been making them: The Webbs began making hot sauce in 2006 as gifts for friends and family. They started commercial sales in February at Crabtree Farms’ spring plant sale.
* Future expansions planned: The Webbs have submitted a MakeWork Grant to CreateHere to fund relocation into a studio space to produce on a larger scale. They are also expanding their product line to include crushed chilis, a salad dressing and hot jam.
* Lessons of the trade: “If you’re producing a product and are connected to each step of the process, you’re going to have a superior product and more control over the process,” Mr. Webb said.