Member Spotlight: Mendez Hot Sauce
Brazil’s favorite gourmet hot sauce officially hit the United States, and the Camp David Cafe has snagged the first batch of bottles. Thanks to StartupRunner, a New York based accelerator (and members of Camp David), Mendez Hot Sauce is heating things up just in time for Summer. Their secret? No dye. No dairy, No gluten. No mayo. No sugar. No GMO. And of course, the highly sustainable malagueta pepper.
Consuming this fine harvest and saucery will elevate both your palette and the lives of Brazilian farmers. By providing farmland, agricultural training and the guaranteed purchase of crops, Mendez has changed the lives of farmers in central Brazil for 13 years. Every 5000 bottles of Mendez Hot Sauce sold accelerates the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and to this date, over 100 families have been lifted out of poverty.
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You can read their stories here, and we sat down with Thani Sokka from StartupRunner to learn more about Mendez.
01. How did you first discover Mendez Hot Sauce?
Derick (Founder of StartupRunner) married Michelle, who is from the same region of Brazil as Mendez. She’s been eating and loving Mendez Hot Sauce for the last 10 years. Michelle introduced Mendez to Derick, and they always brought some back with them after visits to her family in Brazil. They then shared this hot sauce with friends and family in the United States, and all of them would ask the question, “Where can I buy some Mendez here?”. The answer always was, “You can’t.” Well, until now!
02. What is the best part about bringing this hot sauce to the US Market?
The greatest perk will be to help even more families by creating more jobs in Central Brazil. In addition to that, it is to provide a truly unique hot sauce to American families that should bring delight and enjoyment to their meals.
03. Had you heard of the malagueta pepper prior to Mendez?
Derick nor I knew about the malagueta pepper before, but I imagine Michelle might have. It was really cool to be at one of the local farms in Central Brazil and get a chance to taste it fresh off the plant. It’s got quite a kick!
04. Any other remarks you want to make about the product?
I’d like to emphasize the versatility of the sauce. Although it is categorized as a hot sauce, it can also be used as a condiment, marinade, and in recipes. I personally have used it in all these forms, and it’s awesome. I’m a foodie nut, and love to cook, and it’s unique taste, texture, and consistency allows it to be used in many different ways. We’d love to hear how other Mendez lovers use it.