Local Pet Store Owner Get Spicy By Launching New Brand Of Hot Sauce

Reptile pet store owner Jordan Leal is going from selling geckos and iguanas to selling small-batch hot sauce by launching his brand ‘The Hub Sauce Co.’

Jordan Leal with his Otafukumami (Chili Crisp oil) and ghost pepper honey mustard with a Nigerian uromastyx from his House of Scales Business. Leal is celebrating the sixth-year anniversary of his House of Scales Business this Saturday. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Leal is the owner of ‘House of Scales’ in Brookdale Plaza which has been operating for the last six years.

He had the idea of getting into the hot sauce business after his oldest son crafted a barbecue sauce in school for Father’s Day. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, it opened up free time for Leal to explore a new business venture since it slowed down his business and had more downtime.

“We were basically made to pre-order everybody's orders,” explained Leal. “We'd come in the morning, pack everything and then it was sitting around waiting for people to pick up their order.”

He learned more about small-batch hot sauce businesses over social media groups during COVID-19 lockdowns which sparked his interest in starting his own business. He grows several of his own ingredients used in his product and sources locally for everything else.

He eventually launched his brand in February with his first product being his ‘Gold Medal Mustard,’ a ghost pepper honey mustard.

“It's probably one of the most rewarding things when you make that first sale,” explained Leal. “The first person I made my first sale to in the hot sauce company was the same person that was my first sale in this pet store.”

In addition to his mustard, he released a chilli crisp oil containing garlic crips called ‘Otafukumami’ with Asian-inspired flavours. He is nearing the development of a spicy peanut sauce and spicy barbecue sauce.

His hot sauce has already garnered international attention, selling his products in the United States, Europe and South Africa.

“Selling something that I've made start-to-finish is unbelievable,” said Leal. “It's a great feeling to have people happy about what they are eating.”

His products are available to order online at his website. They can be shipped or picked up at House of Scales on Fridays. Leal plans to make his product more widely available by having mom-and-pop shops carry it. Snack Attack Supermarket is scheduled to open a Lindsay location in the near future and Leal says they will carry it there.

He is also promoting his brand at upcoming farmers’ markets and festivals. He is attending the Hastings Waterfront Festival on Aug. 19 and Heating Up the Captial 3 in Ottawa on Sept. 16. for his hot sauce brand.

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Watch: Our "We Are PTBO" In Conversation With Reptile Enthusiast Jordan Leal From House Of Scales

PTBOCanada.com in collaboration with our spinoff agency StudioPTBO have launched a new Docu-Series called "We Are PTBO". The series spotlights ordinary citizens in the community who help make this city extraordinary.

Jordan Leal at House of Scales

The series is produced by Rob "Electric City" James from StudioPTBO. In this show, we chat with local business owner and reptile enthusiast, Jordan Leal, about all things community and reptilian.

Watch the episode below…

-> Watch the first episode here in conversation with Amino Yusuf.

-> Watch the second episode here in conversation with Wayne Ferguson.

Know someone that you think should be spotlighted in the series? Email Rob here.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.