Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Phillip Peters. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Phillip thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

How I started Making rubs and spices and hot sauces. We were making chili and I hated the chili seasoning my wife was using. I was a chef at the time so I did some research and made my own. Friends and family loved it so I started to make some rubs and spice blends as Christmas and birthday gifts. 2 years ago we decided to give it a shot at the local farmers market and it paid off. The hot sauces have always been something I enjoyed eating and one day a friend brought me a case of bottles. I wasn’t sure what to do with them but decided to try my hand at hot sauce. We now have a full line of those as well. There has been much experimentation with recipes and packaging to get where We am now though. A lot of headaches of doing what looks good for the brand but keeps the product affordable. The recipes are locked down and I really like the packaging we are using. I now have some blends that are seasonal and some that are steady. We are really building a customer base as well. This has been a 3 year project so far and there is no turning back now. We have our website up and running and do events around town all year long. We are hoping to get a physical location within the next year or so.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was an executive chef for 10 years. At one point I oversaw multiple restaurants as a Regional Executive chef as well. I love food and I love the connection you get when people try and enjoy your food. I was just burnt out from the demands of the industry. Making our spice blend and hot sauces has allowed me to continue to enjoy the aspects I love the most about being a chef but eased off the long hours and working holidays and weekends. I have 3 kids and was missing so many parts of their lives that it was really hard. I love being able to be home more for them.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

My side hustle is/has become my full time job. I just keeping seeking out new events and posting on social media. I’m learning more and more about the social media aspect and need to do more. I plan to start doing some cooking videos explaining our product and how to use it. I’m just nervous about making videos. I’ll get over it though, at some point.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Not all the things I make I like or would personally use. There is a demand for heat levels and spice blends that I personally don’t like. But I have to do the research and test the product to appease the masses. It’s hard because I want to say I love jerk seasoning for example, but it’s not my jam. I do make a great jerk seasoning though. Heat is another one. I make sauces way hotter than I personally enjoy. My tolerance is going up though and making the process a little more palatable.

Contact Info:

• Website: TheBlackOrchidCollective.com
• Instagram: Https://Instagram.com/blackorchidcollectiv
• Facebook: Https://www.Facebook.com/blackorchidcollective