Spicing up Success: How Traceability Helped Hank Sauce Scale National Distribution

[00:00:00] Number one for me is like being passionate, you know, having the passion to drive the brand to where you believe it can go. You know, if you're passionate about what you do, it's going to show to your customers, it's going to show in the product, and it's going to show in your brand. So we know that we continue to believe in our self and our brand, it's going to get to where we want it to go.

[00:00:19] Hello and welcome to the Next Level Supply Chain with GS1 US, a podcast in which we explore the mind bending world of global supply chains, covering topics such as automation,

[00:00:30] innovation, unique identity, and more. I'm your co host Reed, and I'm Liz, and welcome to the show. Hello everyone. I hope that you're having a great day. Today our guest is Matt Pitaluga, and he's the co founder of Hank Sauce. And today's story is about three friends that grow up together, go to college, have a project for one of their marketing classes, and one of their friends is a good cook.

[00:01:00] And everyone liked their hot sauce that they were making and the rest is history. But the history is, they went back home, started a little side hustle business. And now you can get it at your local grocery store. So how do we go from college dorm rooms, to pizza parlors, to a small restaurant, to being available at ShopRite and Publix and other places? Very interesting, very heartwarming story.

[00:01:29] I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation, and I hope you do too.

[00:01:33] Matt, welcome to the show. I know I am really excited to hear all about your journey for Hank Sauce. Reed, yes? Two thumbs up. Ready to go?

[00:01:43] Ready to go. I am ready for this conversation.

[00:01:47] It's such a cool story about how you and your friends had this idea and brought it to life. And I know I don't live on the East Coast where you all are, but your products are now in the Southeast region where I live. And I just think that's really cool. So without further ado, Matt, tell us a little about yourself and how Hank Sauce was founded, and really who you are and your role within the organization.

[00:02:12] Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you guys very much for having me. It's definitely quite flattering and appreciate the kind words. Certainly been a pretty wild journey that's been very enjoyable to be a part of.

[00:02:22] Yeah, so Hank Sauce was actually my college graphic design project, and that's where it originally initiated. But I'll rewind it a little bit from there where, you know, Hank and I met in fifth grade. So we've been best buds ever since. I went to different high schools and then realigned in college where we were roommates with my other business partner, Josh, who is also from South Jersey.

[00:02:43] Three South Jersey natives living together, you know, all big fans of surfing and fishing and outdoor living, which is kind of why we all aligned in St. Augustine, Florida at Flagler College. So Hank would actually make the sauce for personal use. And one of the most ironic parts about the entire founding of our company is that Josh and I were complete hot sauce haters. So we were all about the mild and not the wild.

[00:03:10] Yeah, Hank would make this sauce for personal use. And Hank would cook for us all the time. So when he would do that, he was making something with hot sauce, Josh and I would be a little hesitant. And he would say, no, you know, trust me, guys, you're going to really enjoy this. And that's something I just make for myself because I don't really like a lot of the big box brands. And Josh and I were blown away by it. Honestly, from the first time we tried it, we would ask him to make it for us in the future and ask him to make it at certain times.

[00:03:34] So when I had the opportunity to create a hypothetical brand for one of my college portfolio projects, it seemed like a pretty natural transition to ask Hank if we could use some of this stuff that he'd been making to put into a bottle.

[00:03:48] You know, hey, man, can we make a gallon or two of that? I want to put it in a bottle. I want to put a label on it with a logo.

[00:03:54] And instead of just showing all my files on the screen for class during my presentation and my critiques, I could actually bring a tangible product that people could actually try and taste.

[00:04:06] And that was the real the real birth of the brand. And we got rave reviews from a lot of our classmates and friends down in the area who were like, hey, you know, like I crushed that bottle this weekend with my buddies.

[00:04:18] Like we would buy another one if you had it. And that was kind of like the light bulb moment, if you will.

[00:04:23] Well, this was in like the winter of 2011. I graduated in May of 2011, whereas Hank and Josh were already out of college for a year or so, already working good jobs.

[00:04:34] I was on the six year plan sampling all the majors of Flagler. You know, I had to make sure I didn't miss any.

[00:04:39] And so finally, we graduated in 2011 and we moved back home to Sea Isle City, where we started doing little farmers markets, pretty much anything that we could possibly do to get the sauce in front of people.

[00:04:57] Whether that was passing out mini bottles while delivering pizza, which I might have done quite a few times, pretty much like selling it out of our trunk just to get people to believe in it.

[00:05:06] And so in 2012, we moved into our first facility. We needed a place to make the sauce, a commercial kitchen.

[00:05:15] My parents' garage wasn't cutting it much longer than that first summer.

[00:05:18] So, you know, shout out to mom and dad for that one. We opened up our restaurant in March of 2012 in Sea Isle City, which is, you know, where we grew up.

[00:05:27] And Hank had grown up cooking here. And it was just a natural transition for us to kind of leave the sunny state of Florida, unfortunately.

[00:05:35] And, you know, moved back to where we had a lot of family and a lot of roots to launch the brand.

[00:05:40] So once we had the restaurant established, we had our commercial kitchen and we could start selling to some retailers and we could start selling to smaller independent stores, mom and pops.

[00:05:51] Obviously, we'll get to the importance of the barcodes.

[00:05:53] But, you know, this was before we even had barcodes and just making it when we need it and trying to get it out any way possible.

[00:06:00] So, Matt, a couple of questions in here. First off, I just love the fact that you went to college with your buddies.

[00:06:07] You guys are on a couple of different plans. You're doing your thing. You're all finding yourself.

[00:06:11] But you're taking a college course and this product becomes the core of it.

[00:06:17] It's like most people go to college like, oh, yeah, I learned a whole bunch of things.

[00:06:20] Then I'm going to find out what I'm going to do. It's like you were using it through the whole moment, which is fantastic.

[00:06:25] Then you move back to Sea Isle City, which is in New Jersey for our listeners.

[00:06:29] It's a great beach town. Lots of fun down there.

[00:06:32] It's not like what you're going to see on MTV's Jersey Shore.

[00:06:36] It's a little bit different. And you said a restaurant, but is it a restaurant where you're selling other foods and drinks and things?

[00:06:44] Or is it really just a commercial kitchen to create the hot sauce?

[00:06:48] I know we had we opened a full out restaurant.

[00:06:51] You know, we all had some experience in the service industry.

[00:06:54] And we figured what better vessel for marketing than, you know, having an actual product to try the sauce on.

[00:07:00] I want to go back to this part real quick because you said it in there.

[00:07:04] But I know from previous conversations, because this stuck with me when you and I met first time.

[00:07:09] You were slipping it into pizzas when you were selling them.

[00:07:15] You had a job delivering pizzas and you were taking these mini bottles and slipping them in.

[00:07:19] Tell us a little bit about that.

[00:07:20] Yeah. So I worked at a place called Uncle Loogie's in Seattle.

[00:07:25] They do crazy volume in the summer and, you know, they have quite a few delivery guys on on a Saturday night.

[00:07:31] And I would make up a couple hundred mini small bottles that is pretty much a business card that you could taste.

[00:07:36] Right. So it would be like an airplane bottle with all of our information on the side.

[00:07:40] You know, you're doing quite a few deliveries a night and I would just be throwing them into every bag.

[00:07:46] And it got to the point where, you know, people were calling the shop asking for more Hank sauce.

[00:07:52] Could I get some of that?

[00:07:53] I love it.

[00:07:54] Yeah. And my boss at the time, who's like a big Italian guy from South Philly, huge fan of the sauce and we're still great buds.

[00:08:02] And he called me into his office and after a couple of phone calls came in and he said, yo, are you putting these mini bottles in people's delivery bags?

[00:08:11] And I was like, oh, man, I was like sweating bullets.

[00:08:14] You know, I was like, I'm done.

[00:08:15] And he's like, that's a great idea, man.

[00:08:17] I think you guys are going to make it.

[00:08:19] And I love the cilantro infused one.

[00:08:21] Oh, wow.

[00:08:22] Yeah, it was a huge sigh of relief.

[00:08:24] Yeah, it was something that, again, we were kind of taking any means possible.

[00:08:28] We really believed in the brand and we just, you know, like we still do.

[00:08:31] Once you try it, it's, you know, a whole nother, it's a whole nother animal.

[00:08:35] And that's really the case for anyone in the food business.

[00:08:37] You know, you can have the best packaging in the world, but getting to actually try the product is really going to entice people to go and seek out the product more.

[00:08:45] So you guys, I mean, we're really grassroots from the very beginning and leaned into it.

[00:08:51] What's been your most rewarding part of this whole entrepreneurial journey that you've been on?

[00:08:58] Honestly, it's pretty simple.

[00:08:59] I would say the journey itself, you know, starting from nothing and really having no knowledge of the industry.

[00:09:07] This was really something that, you know, we were kind of learning as we went.

[00:09:10] And we never hesitated to ask someone when we didn't know.

[00:09:14] Getting into grocery eventually, you know, your wins and the most rewarding parts kind of do change.

[00:09:20] They ebb and flow, I guess, on the size of your company.

[00:09:22] But in the beginning, it's scoring a new store, doing well at a particular farmer's market.

[00:09:27] And then it transitions to, you know, getting big wins, scoring a big brand like Publix, which we did last year, was really something that it brings the whole team up.

[00:09:35] And it's just extremely rewarding to see that success and how it really elevates the brand.

[00:09:41] But for me personally, being a graphic designer, you know, it's as simple as seeing a sticker on someone's car.

[00:09:46] Seeing someone wearing a shirt, you know, in our short town, you see people jogging in the morning with the shirts.

[00:09:51] You see them wearing the shirts out at night.

[00:09:53] Getting rave reviews, getting return customers that really leave awesome reviews and just reach out privately on an email just to tell you how much they love the brand and how much they love what you're doing.

[00:10:02] It's one of the most rewarding parts.

[00:10:04] So cool.

[00:10:05] So cool.

[00:10:07] Apparently we're on the same wavelength there.

[00:10:09] You mentioned getting products into different kinds of stores.

[00:10:13] And Publix is the one right down in the southeast where I live.

[00:10:16] But how do you go about getting products into stores?

[00:10:21] Like, obviously the local, I'm sure you started on the east coast, but how do you do that?

[00:10:27] How do you get into these different places?

[00:10:29] And I'm sure you kind of learned that as you went too.

[00:10:31] Yep.

[00:10:32] Well, like you just said, starting local and building the relationships is really the first thing.

[00:10:36] You know, we moved home because we had friends and family that owned a fish market or a liquor store or something where they knew a restaurant.

[00:10:42] We knew they would at least put some sauce out, especially in the beginning for us.

[00:10:46] We would give out free cases and say, hey, this case is on us.

[00:10:49] If it sells, here's our information.

[00:10:50] If you want to sell some more, give us a shout.

[00:10:52] If it doesn't move, we'll come by and, you know, take it back.

[00:10:55] So building those relationships with like the nearby businesses that were interested in showcasing the brand, that really helped us build the credibility.

[00:11:02] And kind of build that small, loyal customer base, which we'll use then word of mouth to like spread it out to other people.

[00:11:09] And yeah, you know, creating an appealing brand story, having the cool story that people really could resonate with is something that business owners respect.

[00:11:16] And they were really receptive to trying the brand out and putting it on the shelf.

[00:11:22] And then, you know, as you grow targeting the right retailers, strategically start targeting stores, working with smaller brands, then moving up to, you know, a bigger distributor or moving into trade shows, doing a lot of trade shows where get the product and run it in front of the right people, in front of buyers and decision makers for bigger companies and retailers.

[00:11:41] Like I said, working with distributors, we had a bunch of our own vans that we were running at first and you realize, you know, it's a lot of extra moving parts and you kind of learn the value of working smarter instead of harder.

[00:11:53] And obviously maintaining, you know, the product quality and the consistency, making sure that the product, everything is held at a high standard and it's staying consistent.

[00:12:02] Those are part of the strategy that have allowed us to kind of take it from a grassroots thing into more of a, you know, almost national brand at 5,000 stores.

[00:12:11] So yeah, starting small, building the local presence, scaling up through networking and strategic partnerships and consistent quality were really key to us getting Hank Sauce into the shelves of the independents and the larger retailers.

[00:12:24] And it's not an easy feat.

[00:12:25] I mean, that takes time and patience, especially to get into the bigger.

[00:12:30] Yeah, we've been doing it for over a decade now.

[00:12:33] You know, we didn't move into our bigger production facility until 2018.

[00:12:36] So we kind of say on the national scale, we've only really been around since then.

[00:12:40] With the COVID challenges, it was tough to get into like newer stores for that time period, but it was online sales and grocery sales were really up during that time for us.

[00:12:49] So there was a lot of people, you know, becoming aware of the brand who were becoming a home cook or getting into backyard barbecuing or doing something that they weren't really doing before, but picked up like a food hobby where Hank Sauce was, you know, revealed to them during that period of time.

[00:13:04] So, yeah, that's amazing going from your college dorm rooms or off campus housing, wherever you guys were to mom and dad's garage and then to a restaurant and still building it from there.

[00:13:17] And yet you brought up like you need consistency with the product, but now you're at 5,000 stores, right?

[00:13:24] And how important is traceability to you all?

[00:13:29] We know it's important in the food industry, but how important is to you?

[00:13:33] And then if it is important to you, how are you managing it?

[00:13:37] How do you manage traceability?

[00:13:39] Yeah.

[00:13:39] So it's obviously extremely important with any food brand, even someone like us who's a very low risk brand as being a, it's got a super low pH.

[00:13:47] It's very acidic.

[00:13:49] We're not dealing with the shelf life issues that a lot of other companies are dealing with.

[00:13:56] So we're lucky in that sense.

[00:13:57] But as far as like you have machinery and everything else to take into consideration, right?

[00:14:02] So it's not just all about what is the actual ingredients.

[00:14:04] There's always outside elements that can end up in a batch that, you know, you obviously never want to see happen, but things do happen.

[00:14:11] That's just the truth of any type of food manufacturing.

[00:14:14] So obviously, like you said, you got to be ready for it, right?

[00:14:16] You have to take all that into accountability.

[00:14:18] And we've been an SQF certified facility for a couple of years now.

[00:14:22] So our team up there is really experienced and takes that stuff very serious.

[00:14:25] And we have a couple employees that used to work in like the shellfish industry, which, you know, is obviously the polar opposite of ours, where again, traceability is important for everything.

[00:14:34] But dealing with those higher risk products, there's definitely more emphasis on it.

[00:14:38] But for us, every raw material that we're given is given a lot code and then it's received and every finished good is assigned a lot code.

[00:14:44] And then every production day is entered into the system with all the raw materials specific to those kettles creating our finished goods, which is hang sauce.

[00:14:52] Then the records are kept on paper and in our database where we can track back any potential concerns.

[00:14:57] A report can be generated from our system.

[00:15:00] So it'll show exactly where the product went and to the quantities of the product or the raw materials that were used in it.

[00:15:07] So, yeah, obviously, it's a critical part of our process.

[00:15:10] And we just ensure that every step of our production process is fully documented from sourcing ingredients to delivering the finished products.

[00:15:18] Yeah, our SQF facility plays a big role in maintaining these standards, compliance in the regulations, and obviously transparency.

[00:15:24] Transparency to our customers as well is really important.

[00:15:27] So by closely monitoring that product data, we can adapt to our retail strategy, meet consumer demands, and offer a safe, high-quality, consistent product in our sauces.

[00:15:39] Yeah, and pertaining to the UPCs, they allow us to track every product that left our facility and exactly where they went.

[00:15:46] So if a recall were to happen, we would provide the UPC and the lot number to the store, and their system would be able to pull the product back and locate it and making the process streamlined across the board.

[00:15:57] So with SQF certification, you go through mock recalls, and it's something that, again, our team up at our production facility is extremely well-versed on, and takes really seriously, even though we have a safe product, so to say.

[00:16:11] Did you have any major challenges that you remember?

[00:16:16] I mean, you've been doing it for over a decade now.

[00:16:18] You're taking baby steps, and then in some areas, you're taking big jumps, and you're moving.

[00:16:23] I know that you went to this big industrial facility in 2018.

[00:16:27] It kind of really ramped things up, but were there any areas that just stick out for you that was like, whew, didn't think of that, or didn't expect this challenge?

[00:16:35] Because I know that there's other entrepreneurs listening right now and thinking, like, what's the secret?

[00:16:41] Like, what's something I could look out for?

[00:16:43] You know, scaling up is definitely something that I will say wasn't really my forte in the beginning.

[00:16:49] You know, Hank is way more of like that mathematical mind that understands, you know, some ingredients are more potent.

[00:16:54] They're going to permeate more throughout the batch.

[00:16:56] You might need less of that when you batch up.

[00:16:58] But honestly, I can't really say there's been a ton of – for us, it would be that scale-up, right, going from like a 20-gallon pot at our restaurant, you know, to like a 200-gallon kettle, which to some brands, a 200-gallon kettle is still extremely small.

[00:17:13] So that's what some of our bigger batches are made in.

[00:17:16] Then we have like our specialty batches.

[00:17:17] We have an 85-gallon kettle.

[00:17:19] But our product is pretty simple.

[00:17:20] You know what I mean?

[00:17:21] And we don't use a lot of like complicated ingredients.

[00:17:25] It's something that is – it's a very clean, simple ingredient list.

[00:17:29] I mean, hot sauces are, for the most part, vinegar, vegetables, some seasonings.

[00:17:34] It's a pretty simple process.

[00:17:36] And I can honestly say that the establishment and the logistics of getting like the facility and everything else together were a lot more challenging than the actual scale-up of the brand.

[00:17:46] And getting in front of those grocery buyers and learning the ropes of what to present in a presentation, what not to present, what data to emphasize, which things not to emphasize.

[00:17:57] I would say those are a lot more challenging parts of the journey than the actual product itself.

[00:18:03] That's very insightful just there.

[00:18:05] I mean, just that.

[00:18:05] I mean, it's easy to have a conversation with a friend or a family member or an acquaintance that you grew up with in town and saying, hey, here's a free case.

[00:18:15] You know, try to sell it.

[00:18:16] If it doesn't, we'll pick it up.

[00:18:19] Versus iPublics, we'd like to put a product on your shelf for the general public to buy.

[00:18:24] Right.

[00:18:25] And again, with that, you know, we failed multiple times.

[00:18:28] So we got really lucky in the Mid-Atlantic when we were, you know, such a smaller brand because the ShopRites and the Acme's Giants, they were all kind of Whole Foods.

[00:18:37] They all came to us and were saying, hey, we have a lot of people asking for your product.

[00:18:41] We want to put it in our store.

[00:18:43] And trying to do that outside of the Mid-Atlantic is obviously the goal for us now.

[00:18:47] As a smaller brand with like a shoestring marketing budget and everything else, that's proven to be one of the biggest challenges for us.

[00:18:54] How do you take that like local hype, if you will, and then how do we replicate this in San Diego?

[00:19:00] How do we replicate this in Dallas-Fort Worth?

[00:19:03] How do we replicate it here?

[00:19:04] And we're still a young company in the overall scheme of things.

[00:19:08] So those are the challenging parts for us that are a lot more difficult than anything in the actual like making of the product.

[00:19:17] The simple part was actually making this stuff, right?

[00:19:20] And I had a question and you kind of answered it, but if you had to give someone advice on how to start a business, whether it's food or not food, what would you say?

[00:19:32] Well, I would say get used to hearing no, first of all.

[00:19:35] Fair.

[00:19:36] That's great.

[00:19:37] There's obviously a lot of like cliche answers to this one that kind of do ring true.

[00:19:41] But, you know, starting small and being realistic is the first thing and start small and think big, you know, with a manageable concept, you can refine your product and your service and really always think about like the long-term scalability.

[00:19:56] For us, that's something that, you know, we keep in mind with every move we make now is like the scalability is, you know, we're not just making it in our garage when we want to, you know, it's, we have customers that rely on us.

[00:20:06] And knowing your market, understanding your target audience, tailor your product to meet their needs and, you know, researching your competition and kind of seeing like who's doing what out in the industry.

[00:20:17] Definitely, you know, I'm someone that has just kind of kept an eye on the CPG, you know, industry in general, always looking at like cool brands that are popping up or brands that are being acquired and things like that.

[00:20:28] That's always been something like interesting to me.

[00:20:30] So knowing your market is obviously really important.

[00:20:33] Networking is something that I think is one of the most important things, you know, obviously you hear a lot.

[00:20:37] It's not what you know, it's who you know.

[00:20:39] And surrounding yourself with supporting mentors, industry contacts, getting to pick the brains of people that have done what you're trying to do is really, really valuable.

[00:20:47] Building potential partners and knowing where to turn for information.

[00:20:51] And, you know, for us, networking has opened a lot of doors and has provided a lot of valuable advice along the way that obviously you have to be willing to take.

[00:20:59] We were in the same boat in your 20, early 20s and you think you know everything and you take some advice from people, but you still think that you know the way.

[00:21:08] And we learned as we grew within our brand and ourself that, you know, you got to listen to the people that have done the things that you're already trying to do.

[00:21:16] The people, the industry vets, their insight is really valuable.

[00:21:18] Obviously focusing on quality of the products is a quality and consistency is one of the most important things in the food business.

[00:21:27] So when somebody really enjoys what you're giving out, you have to be able to keep that process and that end product consistent.

[00:21:34] You know, our customers really value our authenticity.

[00:21:37] People that have met us at a farmer's market or something like that, giving that face time, donating your time to whether it be demos and events, things like that are really important for, you know, kind of creating that customer base.

[00:21:48] When a customer gets to speak with someone that has a big part in the business, opposed to just someone who's being paid to be a sampler at an event or, you know, a paid ambassador that isn't really behind the brand.

[00:22:01] The authenticity nowadays, I feel like is really important.

[00:22:03] So that's something to really focusing on.

[00:22:06] Then obviously like finances, you know, you have to keep a close eye on cashflow and really avoid overextending yourself if you're starting your brand.

[00:22:14] It's really easy to justify costs when you're early.

[00:22:17] I know we've done a lot of that, made mistakes of saying, hey, this, you know, we're going to do X campaign or we're going to try this out.

[00:22:23] And as long as we can get some people to know about the brand, you know, not really having ways to measure the ROI or anything like that,

[00:22:31] not having like those performance indicators and just kind of hoping for the best, you know, obviously managing finances for any business is really important, but especially a startup.

[00:22:40] And then, you know, embracing innovation.

[00:22:42] And for, I think number one for me is like being passionate, you know, having the passion to drive the brand to where you believe it can go.

[00:22:51] You know, if you're passionate about what you do, it's going to show to your customers.

[00:22:54] It's going to show in the product and it's going to show in your brand.

[00:22:58] And for us, it's something that we were really passionate about.

[00:23:00] I mean, I put six months into the, you know, design of the bottle and everything before we even started giving it out to friends and family.

[00:23:09] And to this day, we've had a lot of roadblocks, but we've been passionate about the brand.

[00:23:14] So we know that if we continue to believe in ourself and our brand, it's going to get to where we want it to go.

[00:23:18] I'm just so energized by you and by this story and just all of it.

[00:23:25] And I think passion is, I mean, you need passion if you're hesitant about it, but you have some really good grounding things.

[00:23:32] Earlier in our conversation, I took a note and I wrote it down actually in red, not afraid to ask for what you didn't know.

[00:23:40] You know, it's like, yeah, I have the passion.

[00:23:41] I want to go do this, but just start asking the questions.

[00:23:43] And then you also said, you know, that you failed a lot and I'm sure you didn't have one meeting with Publix and you won the deal, right?

[00:23:53] Nope.

[00:23:53] No, that's, there's been, no, we had a few.

[00:23:56] Actually, the first, the first meeting we had with them was we were down in St. Augustine, actually at the campus.

[00:24:03] I was getting married down there and it was three days before my wedding and there was a hurricane coming through town and we lost connection during the call.

[00:24:13] The campus was flooded, but the alumni director there, Whitney at Flagler, she hooked it up big and she gave us the Henry Flagler room to have our call in.

[00:24:21] And a lot of things went wrong that day and we ended up not scoring it after putting, you know, a ton of time and effort into the presentation and getting everything ready for the meeting.

[00:24:30] But that's any business, you know, if you can't accept here, you know, there's a lot of no's before you get the yes.

[00:24:35] And it might've been a little easier for us in the early days as we were, you know, a local product.

[00:24:41] But, you know, once you get outside of this area, it's like, what is Hank's sauce?

[00:24:45] Like, why should I care about Hank's sauce?

[00:24:47] You're another brand in the sea of hot sauces, which, you know, the hot sauce industry is just exploding and which is a good thing.

[00:24:53] We think it's great.

[00:24:54] You know, more competition is awesome.

[00:24:55] We're lucky that we got in early, but back to your note.

[00:24:58] Yeah, we've always been, hey, what should we put in this presentation to Publix?

[00:25:02] You know, we have a VP of sales that we hired a couple of years ago who's been in the business for 35 years selling all types of products from, you know, Fortune 500 companies.

[00:25:13] And, you know, having that knowledge and just being very open to any type of information about what you have a question about is so valuable.

[00:25:21] And anytime we meet somebody at a trade show that's been into the business for a while or meet somebody in any type of networking event, a lot of them, they resonate with our story and they see what we've built already.

[00:25:31] And they're very open to sharing information with us because they respect what we've built and they respect our hustle and our passion.

[00:25:38] So finding like those like-minded people and asking them for advice is, it's beyond valuable.

[00:25:44] You can't really put a dollar figure on that kind of stuff.

[00:25:47] They're the type of conversations that, you know, help to open new doors and eventually get you into those wins like Publix like we had this year.

[00:25:56] So we're still very green in the business.

[00:25:58] We still, you know, like to soak up any information like a sponge anytime we can.

[00:26:02] And we're going to continue to be that way probably for as long as we are running the brand.

[00:26:07] I'm just so energized by it because it is.

[00:26:09] It's this, you hear it all the time, get ready for no, fail is the first attempt in learning.

[00:26:15] Like, but it is, none of it is ever easy.

[00:26:18] And as the saying goes, if it was easy, everyone would do it.

[00:26:21] And then it wouldn't have value, right?

[00:26:23] Not in the food biz.

[00:26:25] No, not in any biz, not in any biz.

[00:26:28] It's really true.

[00:26:29] So we're getting close to the end here.

[00:26:31] And we got two quick questions here at the end.

[00:26:33] I'll go first and then Liz, you can wrap it up with yours, but I'm going to change it a little bit.

[00:26:39] I'm a technology guy.

[00:26:40] So either in your professional life or in your personal life, what's your favorite technology that you're using today?

[00:26:47] I'm going to have to go with the thing that we all keep in our pocket.

[00:26:50] The smartphone is just the most incredible piece of technology that I can honestly think of.

[00:26:55] You know, I'm old enough that I didn't grow up with a cell phone in grade school.

[00:26:58] I got a cell phone when I was 15, when I got a moped and my parents needed to know where I was on my moped.

[00:27:03] And it didn't have all the information that it did today.

[00:27:06] You know, I grew up going to the library for book reports and research reports.

[00:27:11] And having that thing in your pocket that you can just ask whatever you desire is really, it's wild.

[00:27:16] It's a staggering piece of technology that for us, you know, sure, there's other things like NetSuite and things that keep your business organized.

[00:27:24] You know, things like AI that are helping, you know, get rid of wasted time and repetitive tasks and things like that.

[00:27:31] And, you know, with all that stuff, there is obviously downsides.

[00:27:34] There's downsides to every technology.

[00:27:35] But I'm going to go with the good old smartphone because it's honestly just amazing.

[00:27:40] It's amazing how much, you know, you have right there in your pocket when you didn't grow up with it, right?

[00:27:46] Like these kids are going to, we already sing, kids in our restaurant and stuff that have, you know, I'm like, when you were you born?

[00:27:52] Oh, man, you've been, the smartphone's older than you.

[00:27:54] Like, that's nuts.

[00:27:55] And it's a powerful tool.

[00:27:58] And for me, it's just something that I couldn't imagine trying to run a business without it anymore.

[00:28:04] I mean, I remember when the big, the cow patterned gate compact box, like showed up at my house, you know, and having all that technology.

[00:28:13] Dude, you're getting a Dell.

[00:28:15] Dude, you're getting a Dell.

[00:28:16] Exactly.

[00:28:17] You know, I remember when our, when our eighth grade, you know, school got all the new iMacs that had the crazy colors and everything else.

[00:28:24] So seeing the technology that is just sitting in your pocket right now is, it's pretty wild.

[00:28:30] Yeah.

[00:28:30] I'm kind of bummed that my kids who are 15 won't know the pain of a card catalog, like pulling out the, like getting, right?

[00:28:40] It's not fair.

[00:28:41] Anyway.

[00:28:42] Yeah.

[00:28:42] So I have the last question.

[00:28:44] I think it's most fun because I'm a food person.

[00:28:46] If you could only eat one food, and I'm really excited actually to ask you this because you're in the food space.

[00:28:52] If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

[00:28:55] Man, that's the toughest question I've been asked today.

[00:28:58] And you can say something with Hank sauce.

[00:29:01] Obviously there's not an extreme amount of nutritional value for just chugging hot sauce every day.

[00:29:06] You might, you might have some ulcers or something developing, but I don't know.

[00:29:11] That's tough.

[00:29:12] I would say I'm a big seafood guy and a big like Mexican guy.

[00:29:15] So maybe like I could probably do fish tacos for the rest of my life with a little guac.

[00:29:20] Yeah.

[00:29:20] There was definitely, I feel like an asterisk on that question.

[00:29:22] Cause is it one ingredient?

[00:29:24] Is it one thing?

[00:29:25] If we're generalizing it?

[00:29:26] Yeah, I could probably do some, you know, some breakfast tacos.

[00:29:29] I can always go with tacos.

[00:29:31] Seafood is something that obviously we serve a lot at our restaurant.

[00:29:34] We've just grown up with it.

[00:29:35] My dad was a commercial fisherman.

[00:29:36] So something I've been around my whole life and something that I definitely couldn't,

[00:29:40] I couldn't live away from the ocean.

[00:29:42] I couldn't live without the delicious fare coming from the ocean.

[00:29:45] So my final answer.

[00:29:47] Well, this has been fantastic, Matt.

[00:29:49] We can't thank you enough for just spending some time with us and sharing your experience.

[00:29:54] I mean, it is an amazing story.

[00:29:56] And when you're done, I'll be buying the book and reading it.

[00:30:00] We wish you all the best of luck with continued success with Hank Sauce.

[00:30:04] Yeah.

[00:30:05] Thank you all.

[00:30:05] Again, really appreciate the feature and the support for the brand.

[00:30:09] Yeah.

[00:30:09] Go to Hank Sauce and throw in your zip code and see where you can find it at a store near you.

[00:30:13] You know, I got to add the shameless plug in there.

[00:30:16] Thank you for joining the Next Level Supply Chain with GS1US.

[00:30:19] If you enjoyed today's show, you can subscribe to our feed or explore more great episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:30:26] Don't forget to share and follow us on social media.

[00:30:29] Thanks again.

[00:30:30] And we'll see you next time.