#155 You Can Handle It - Catherine Kuerbis, Heat You Can Handle (HYCH)
Manage episode 389679097 series 3538133
This show is a repeat of the “hottest” episode in Meaningful Marketplace’s series. Our own Sarah Marshall of Marshall’s Haute Sauce, interviews Catherine and Matt Kuerbis, Founders of Heat You Can Handle (HYCH) makers of another great hot sauce. They were first interviewed February 5, 2020 (episode #25) when the company was called Hoss Soss and we’re going to see what has changed in their business since then. These two traveled the world and eventually landed in Salem, Oregon to start their own company. Dissatisfied with hot sauces they would take home and find simply too flammable to swallow, they began to experiment with other ingredients and found great recipes they could enjoy cooking and eating. And since they had seen so much of the world and experienced so many other cultures, it was only natural to include those other exotic flavors into their sauces and start sharing them with the world. In 2016, they launched from their home kitchen and have been at it ever since. Both Heat You Can Handle and its acronym HYCH (Hitch) were adopted in January 2023 in place of the original name, Hoss Soss. The couple just knew they wanted to get rid of the more generic play on words and after session upon session of trying to find the perfect name, they saw it right in front of their own eyes. They had already trademarked the phrase “Heat You Can Handle” so why not let it be the company name? And HYCH fell right in line with “hitching” a ride on the carousel of world flavors the company offers, so it was a natural fit. Initially, the couple thought they would need a complete rebranding and did some label mock-ups getting rid of the black background, the flames and changing the type font. However, their customer base resisted, feeling the original graphics were more in tune with the spirit and attitude of the company. Catherine and Matt also discussed changing some of the flavor names, because they thought the international names were difficult to pronounce. Again, the loyal customers replied those names were authentic and helped make their company unique. So they renamed their company and rebranded the products while keeping the magic of the original name. The new name and rebrand effort took much more time than they anticipated and in hindsight, the couple wishes they had started the journey earlier. Key to their success was communication. Not only by being sensitive – and smart – going to their loyal customers first, but also by being out in front of the brand change with their retail customers. Catherine and Matt (married since their first show with us; congratulations) made sure as the old product ran out on the shelf that the new product was brought in to sit alongside the old and make the transition smooth for the shopper. When you visit the website, https://heatyoucanhandle.com/, you’ll see the video of Chef Matt (he has all the credentials) giving a rundown on all the flavors, with subtitles so you can read the exotic names. You can order sauces from there and find HYCH in retail locations. Follow them on: Twitter - @heatucanhandle, Instagram - @heatucanhandle, Facebook - @Heat You Can Handle, TikTok - @heatucanhandle. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.
Thank you for Listening to The Meaningful Marketplace Podcast with your hosts, Sarah Masoni of Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center and Sarah Marshall, owner of Marshall's Haute Sauce. Connect with us on Instagram @meaningfulmarketplacepodcast.
Audio engineer, mixer, and podcast editor: Haley Bowers
Show logo was designed by Anton Kimball of Kimball Design
Production Coordinator: Kayleen Veatch
196 episodes