Today we’d like to introduce you to John Sauchelli

Hi John, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

This is a great story actually!
Austin and I met through a mutual friend in high school. We immediately hit it off and became close friends quickly. As time progressed and our opposite work schedules and family life took hold, we lost touch. Then one day his wife Melissa reached out to me on social media looking to reconnect. We met up to discover he was growing peppers, tomatoes, etc and we began making a hot sauce recipe I had been tinkering with together. The kicker is that Austin and Melissa met at a party at my house when we were teenagers. He met her by being at my house and it was her that reconnected us after some years had passed. Funny how things work out:)

Our mission at Jersey Barnfire is simple.
Local , local, local!
We aim to keep who we source from as close to home as possible without compromising the quality of our products. After growing our own peppers, we contract grow with other area farms for some of our supply. We also utilize and support other small businesses like RH Farms, Valley Fall Farms, and also Harvest Drop here in New Jersey that goes to farms all over NJ, Eastern PA, and parts of NY State to procure some of the finest produce out there when we can’t get what we need around the corner. It’s important to us to embrace the ‘Garden’ in our Garden State!

We are into this industry because, as spicy food lovers, we felt the need to create something that suited our style and palate more than anything else we had already sampled. So we set our sights toward our own brand. Along the way to making a fine line of multi-award winning hot sauces, we also began applying the knowledge we acquired to help others by copacking. So not only do we make all our own sauces from scratch, but we have grown into the ability to produce, and provide consulting services for others who are either just getting started, or are looking to outsource their production. We can really help anyone at any level of their sauce making vision, from concept to execution.
So far we’ve helped over a dozen small companies like ours realize their dream.
And as for our dreams, one of my oldest friends, Austin D’Almeida and I were able to make something significant from just a love of spicy food, gardening, and an idea.
Also in 2019, Jersey Barnfire Hot Sauce won the Grand World Champion Screaming MiMi award for our Indian Summer sauce at the New York City Hot Sauce Expo beating out over 400 other sauces from around the world!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

We definitely had much to learn. It is certainly way more involved than people think! The path wasn’t nearly as well paved as it is now. And we have become part of the reason why it is! We had a few good connections like the Rutgers NJ Food Innovation Center, that helped us get to the goal of becoming commercially available. They were able to help us upscale and properly document and track everything. This was a huge help to lead us to where we are now.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

Before and during Jersey Barnfire I spent roughly 25 years as a pastry chef working in all aspects of the foodservice and hospitality industry. Austin, my business partner and brother from another mother has been in HVAC for almost as long. I’m known for mouth watering desserts that are as beautiful as they are delicious. I am even more know now for the accomplishments Austin and I have achieved with Jersey Barnfire. I’d say we are most proud of winning the Grand World Champion Screaming MiMi Award in 2019 at the NYC Hot Sauce Expo. Rising to the top of over 400 other sauces from around the world with our Indian Summer Hot Sauce!
What sets us apart from others is our integrity, commitment to quality, unique and vibrant flavor profiles that suit a vast array of tastes. We make these sauces with the mind of a chef!

Who else deserves credit in your story?

Andre’ DeWaal, good friend and chef Of Andre’s Lakeside in Sparta NJ, who used to let us use his kitchen after hours. when we first started out at his previous location.
Kendrya Close, who runs the Foodshed Alliance in NJ which helps to provide farm fresh produce for all, while fighting food waste and championing sustainability. I have been doing farm to fork dinners as a chef with them since 2013.
Melissa D’Almeida, Austin’s wife! She has stood by him and I since day one through all the madness of getting started and figuring everything out.
Leigh Anne Sauchelli, my wife! She supports all of what I do and has my back as I do hers. She even travels to do events with me when needed. An added benefit is she seems to get everyone she comes in contact with hooked on our sauces haha!

Pricing:

• Most bottles are between $9.99-$11.99

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.jerseybarnfire.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/jerseybarnfire
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jerseybarnfire

Image Credits

John Sauchelli, Jersey Barnfire Hot Sauce