Meet Drew Smith | Hot Sauce Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Drew Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Drew, how do you think about risk?
Truth be told, I’m not much of a risk taker anymore. Maybe a little bit when I was younger, but I’ve always been a trepidatious person. Taking risks, now in my life, involve money, injury and lifestyle costs. However, I’ve always jumped into work and my career without thinking much about it. These risks involved significant pay cuts in order to do the things that I was truly passionate about.

I’ve kind of done it all honestly. I’ve worked in the food industry in just about every role, from there I became a hairstylist. Hair styling wasn’t a passion, but a means to get out of the food industry and make money. As I grew in that career I realized craft beer was my passion and that I wanted to be a brewer. That was a leap backwards financially but my family saw that I was working towards something that fulfilled a purpose for me. Some people took a chance on me and I worked hard and moved up quickly to do just that and soon enough became a brewer. If I hadn’t taken that risk in doing something that was comfortably providing and move into a career I had know way of knowing I’d achieve, I don’t think I’d be doing what I’m doing now. In a roundabout way it led me right to Horror Struck Hot Sauce.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think my story starts with wanting to become a brewer. It was a long road of inserting myself into the industry and getting a small but firm foot in the door. From beer blogger to brand ambassador and from there straight into production. You get a lot of people saying that brewing must be the best job ever and think it’s just standing around drinking beer all day. Not so much, it’s grueling work and it takes someone who is passionate in the liquid they are producing to want to put in that much effort and labor. When it’s cold outside, it’s 10 degrees colder inside, when it’s hot outside it’s 10 degrees hotter inside. But what comes with that drive to create is discipline, knowledge and ambition.

Discipline because schedules need to be met, timing to insure the beer comes out the exact same every time and the will power to work overnights and long days.

Knowledge because every thing needs to be meticulous. Your processes have to be safe, effective and clean. You learn a lot about microbiology through yeast and bacteria. Sanitation is of upmost importance. This is extremely useful information when creating hot sauce. If the acidity and pH of your sauce isn’t right or proper sanitation of equipment, or packaging isn’t met, it’s life or death. So having learned this in the brewing industry, all of these things prepared me immediately and set ground rules in the hot sauce industry.

Ambition because through it all, you have to work hard to want it. Before starting Horror+Struck Hot Sauce I was growing peppers and making sauce for friends. But once I had won my first competition, it was go time and I had to rethink just exactly where I wanted to go from there. Did I want to spend all my free time thinking about running a business while working a full time job? Do you want it that bad that your weekends and nights are now spent running markets or making sauce to keep up with demand? You really have to have faith in your product, believe in yourself and have the confidence in a year from now that you’re still driving forward with the same momentum and excitement you had when you started this adventure.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve lived in Atlanta for awhile now so I’m particular about places to hang out. I stay within my haunts mostly. This also assumes I’m taking off work for a week as well.

I’ve been going to The Local for so long and it has such a near and dear place in my heart. You definitely need to check this dive bar for cheap drinks and the best wings in Atlanta. This would be a good place to start a night before the Clermont Lounge opens. Then just cross the street and have some fun there to close it out. Both are a must.

If my guest has it in them I’d take a couple classes at Vesta Fitboxing throughout the week. I like to workout so this would be the best way to stay in shape while you’re in Atlanta. It has the most unique and high energy workouts in the city. The instructors keep the energy going and are extremely welcoming to newcomers and beginners. You will never feel intimidated working out here. You are part of the community here.

East Atlanta Village is whole vibe because you can bar hop for one night. Make your way around starting at the Earl (or take in a show) then pop into Argosy, Flat Iron, and Midway. I like The Basement too for dance parties but I might be a bit too old for that crowd these days.

I’d suggest getting a cabin up in Blue Ridge as well for a night or two. Cabins are fairly cheap, comes with a hot tub and some good hiking. Stop in to Expedition: Bigfoot! Museum. That place is wild. It’s a quick stop either going or coming from the mountains and worth the ticket price.

I’d end the week on my side of town. Go to Lee and White for a craft beer destination. Monday Night Garage has one of the biggest and most open spots to enjoy the best beer Atlanta has to offer. Lots of styles and flavors and you’d be hard pressed to find something you don’t like. Then I’d end a Friday for drinks and a metal show at Boggs Social & Supply.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s a few groups I want to give recognition. First, my wife Alixx. She has been a tremendous help with starting a business. She has owned her own for 8 years and is deserving of all the recognition she receives. With out her knowledge of opening a business from the ground up with zero experience, I’d have not taken on this entirely by myself. From dealing with the city, permits, insurance and taxes, I may have given up right out the gate.

Second, my family has been extremely supportive. From learning at a younger age from my Dad’s green thumb to my siblings consistently showing up to events and markets to support. It has been a big help in gaining my brand’s excitement and recognition.

Third, the brewing community. It’s where I started my creativity and knowledge. Learning from the best in the industry at Monday Night Brewing. Things like sanitation and microbiology helps a lot in the creation of my product. Not to mention all the folks I’ve met and the connections I’ve made have helped me advance my career and make last impressions in the community so that I get to do what I do now and continue in some capacity.

Website: www.horrorstruckhotsauce.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/horrorstruckhotsauce/

Image Credits
@laurencurling @theactors_crafty_boutique