OUR KITCHEN

As of today, we're a small, family-run business located in rural Massachusetts. We feel fortunate to partner with local businesses in our community. We're very excited to get our first commercial crop from Douglas Orchard & Farm in the summer of 2022- working to build and maintain the local community.

Whenever we're stirring up a new batch of hot sauce, we lean on our relationship with Douglas Orchard & Farm by leasing out their meticulously cleaned, state-approved kitchen facilities. We love that our businesses can support one another. On that note, if you ever get the chance to visit rural Massachusetts, look up Douglas Orchard & Farm- we can't recommend their fresh-made donuts enough, yum!

Putting A Name To A Face

  • Meet Sashu

    MASTER CREATOR + HOT SAUCE FANATIC

    On the regular, far from the kitchen, you'll often find me behind a desk as a software developer. I specialize in business apps for mobile devices. Before working in software, I worked as an Electrical Field Service Engineer for General Electric.

    I am most proud of my time in the US Navy, where I was a Nuclear Rated Electrician's Mate, aboard the Los Angeles class Submarine, USS Alexandria (SSN-757), and NR-1, the world's only nuclear powered deep submersible.

    Everyone who knows me knows that I have a real passion for food, and I am happiest when serving food to what I would consider the best friends & family one could ever have!

 

The original hot sauce is born.

Like so many other craft hot sauces out there, I started bottling my recipe at home (back in 2015) because I'd gotten tired of searching around for the perfect sauce, according to my taste and heat tolerance. Sashu's Sauces, The Original, started as a hobby I would gift during the holiday seasons. But after several consecutive sell-outs at the annual Toys for Tots bake sale (where my lovely wife Leslie works) it started feeling like this might be something worth pursuing. 

I guess the word got around because people we'd never met started seeking us out to see if we had any extra bottles we were willing to sell. Next thing you know, we're actively making a new batch every couple of months or so to keep the "underground" supply chain moving! I don't think this is a unique story when it comes to starting a hot sauce business, but I'm incredibly proud to be able to say that I'm a member of that group of folks.

Although I'm not a melt-your-face-off kind of guy, I tend to like it hotter than the average person. So, whenever I find a hot sauce that I like the flavor of, I'm typically disappointed in the lackluster heat level. And, of course, one shouldn't have to sacrifice heat for flavor- that's when it dawned on me that the world needed more hot sauces with the perfect balance of taste AND heat. 

We jumped at the opportunity to bring the world excellent tasting hot sauces in more than one level of heat. Something that both the average hot sauce lover and the hot-head can enjoy equally. It's not a perfectly unique concept. We get it. But we're hoping that we can bring it to a new level by delivering heat and flavor all the time, every time. We're confident that you'll love Sashu's Sauces so much that we offer a 100% money-back guarantee on any of our sauces. 

Sourced Locally, Whenever Possible.

 

Fresh Peppers

Although we can't always get our peppers from local sources here in New England, we'll always do our best during the growing season. Otherwise, to keep production going during the off-season, our focus will always be to purchase 'responsibly' from local farmers in other regions. Our goal is to help as many local economies grow and thrive as possible. We will always strive to support other small businesses like ours.

Ancient Sea Salt

Although there is no proof that naturally mined, unrefined salts are healthier for you than processed table salt, Leslie and I feel strongly about using ingredients as close to their natural state as possible. We've also taken extraordinary measures to compare many different unrefined salts available in today's market. Redmond's Real Salt turned out to be a no-brainer in all the ways that matter to the two of us. Better flavor in our sauces – mined directly from American soils in Redmond, Utah – and, of course, all-natural!

Hand-Selected Vinegar

Leslie and I went through dozens and dozens of different vinegar variations. We explored other brands, varieties, and levels of acidity. Although we choose not to divulge our final choice (there's gotta be one family secret, right?!), we feel like we've finally nailed the one that's best suited for the OG of Sashu's Sauces. For all the other sauces, it has become apparent that we need entirely different varieties for some of the other sauces we're developing. Who knew flavor combinations could be so complicated?!