The Silagy family started making their hot sauce as a hobby in 2015 and they definitely did not foresee going into business. But with plenty of pressure from friends, family and flavor fans around the community, they decided to make a go of it.
Today, the small family owned business is operated by a father and two sons and together, they create hot sauces that bring the heat. Their three signature flavors include Smokin’ Habanero, Roasted Habanero and Cilantro Lime Serrano, and seasonal sauces are created throughout the year as well. All products are made by hand with fresh ingredients and all peppers are roasted and smoked in-house in small batches. Each product is low in sodium, naturally gluten-free and vegan.
“We strive to keep our hot sauce balanced between the heat and flavor spectrum, so that it adds depth to food instead of taking it over,” said Ryan Silagy, co-owner of Silagy Sauces.
Now, three years after officially getting licensed and registered, Silagy Sauces has three full-time employees and sees about 20% growth each year. Silagy shares that one of the main reasons why they chose Clark County for their headquarters was because they had so much support from the community.
“We have a really big fan base here. We started in our local produce market in Battle Ground and have been expanding slowly and confidently in restaurants and stores to see how the wider public feels about our product,” he said. “We think that the community has really responded well to us and that’s due to our product being local. People love to support their community.”
The company now has their hot sauces in more than 80 restaurants in the local area.
“This helps us tremendously because people can try it at their favorite spot and fall in love with it there,” Silagy said.
To fuel growth, the company does a lot of live demos at stores, farmers’ markets, brew fests and bazaars during the winter season.
Looking toward future growth, Silagy Sauces is researching options for getting their own manufacturing facility. They are also hoping to get their currently bottling process more automated so they can cut down the time it takes to get the products crafted and on the shelf. They are also looking to hire more employees to assist with the production. People can also expect to see Silagy Sauces in more restaurants and stores along the West Coast at the end of 2020.
“People can taste the difference when something has been given the time to be made right,” Silagy said. “It’s as close to homemade that you can get without being made at home.”
