The very first Hot Hot Lover dry rub blend was born in the summer of 2009 while Zach was grilling with friends. Because most of the dry rubs he had been using were heavy on salt, he wanted to create a rub that was less salty and focused more on the flavors of peppers and spices. The result was the creation of Original Cayenne, a perfect blend of hot, sweet and salty. We called it “Hot Hot Lover,” and it was instantly a huge hit with family and friends
In 2011, Zach started experimenting with the original, cayenne powder “Hot Hot Lover,” swapping cayenne powder for two of our other favorite pepper powders. The result was the creation of the “Original Trio”: Original Cayenne, Original Jalapeño and Original Chipotle. Each of them had their own distinct flavor and touch of heat.
After the creation of the Original Trio, friends and family began insisting that we start marketing our seasoning. However, Natalie and Zach were too busy with their university and freelance design work to make it a reality. Hot Hot Lover was put on the back burner until 2013.
In 2014, they created Hot Hot Lover, LLC, designed a logo, trademarked their name, and built a certified mixing room. Zach had also created three new blends: Cinnamon Chipotle, Curry Kick and Jalapeño Dust. The business was finally in place.
All they needed was an official launch date.
Zach and Natalie decided the best place to launch would be at the 2014 Ferdinand Folk Fest. What better way to launch than surrounded by family and friends at their favorite Ferdinand event? A space was reserved, signs were painted, and spices were mixed, packaged and labeled. When launch day arrived, it was perfect with a great atmosphere and crowd. Hot Hot Lover was a hit!
After the success of the launch, they rented a booth at the 2014 Christkindlmarkt, where they unexpectedly sold out of 6-packs and several blends on the first day. They pulled an all-nighter to mix spices for the second day of the weekend, and then they sold out again.
In 2015, they launched two new seasonings at the Ferdinand Folk Fest: Mamma Mia and Smoky Taco. They gave Jalapeño Dust and Curry Kick a run for their money, but Jalapeño Dust kept up a good fight for our number one spot. The 2015 Folk Fest was another great day for Hot Hot Lover, with many repeat customers. It’s nice to hear how much people love our seasoning and even better to hear all the different ways that they use it!
In fall 2015, the website was up and running and booths were set up at the Cannelton Heritage Festival, the Rosenvolk Medieval Festival, and the 2015 Christkindlmarkt.
In 2016 we decided to limit the craziness to only one show a year ~ the Ferdinand Christkindlmarkt. We loved our new booth space in the Monastery Event Center, and loved the vendors around us. In 2017 we grew from one booth to two and introduced several new seasonings.
In 2018 we were unsure if we would participate in Christkindlmarkt because our dad was battling cancer. Always the trooper, he insisted that we participate. He was feeling especially good that day and had an awesome time entertaining the crowd with recipes and stories ~ always the heart and soul of Hot Hot Lover.
2019 was a different year for us. Our dad passed away on May 10, 2019, and it was our first Christkindlmarkt without him. While we had debated on attending, it ended up being a great day with a lot of folks stopping by to reminisce and share stories about our dad.
And here we are in 2020. Since Christkindlmarkt has been cancelled, it's going to be another different kind of year. We will be doing most of our selling on our website. And locals can always reach out to us on fb, and pick up their orders at our house. Just going with the flow, making the most of it, and remembering our mission statement:
"To create an outstanding line of hand-crafted artisan seasonings for our customers to enjoy and share. In essence, bringing families and friends together, because that's what it's all about."
Always, ALWAYS about friends and family!!
