The History of 301 Hot Sauce
You’re going to love it when you taste it!
Reborn June 9, 2020
Grab a beverage and have a seat, it’s story time.
Birth of a Hot Sauce
Many years ago in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Rob Fitz started dabbling in hot sauces with his Brother-in-Law Jim. Both were huge fans of hot sauces and challenges; often entering competitions for eating the hottest wings or other hot sauce challenges just to see who could survive. They also enjoyed creating hot sauces in the kitchen, and thankfully preferred flavor to heat.
The first batch of 301 Hot Sauce was produced for family and friends. After several rounds of home made hot sauce, Rob decided to commercially produce 301 and sometime around 2009 or 2010, 301 Hot Sauce was available in quantity.
A Motley Crew
While all this was happening, Rob became friends with Ken Gulledge (The Big Guy) and Steve Durr (The Sales and Marketing Guy) while a member of a running group (On-On!) Ken fell in love with the sauce’s versatility after Rob gave him a case. He tried in on everything and found it added just the right amount of flavor and heat – eggs, meats, salads, you name it. Rob moved in with Ken and stored cases (and cases) of 301, and Ken was a happy guy. Soon after, Ken moved to Italy and briefly lost touch with Rob.
At the same time, Steve was helping Rob grow 301 by promoting the Hot Sauce on Facebook and discussing many other ideas (going to farmer markets, calling on hot sauce shops, ect). Rob and Steve actually made hot sauce together while on vacation in the Outer Banks (2011 or 2012 – the memory is a bit fuzzy), and Steve saw the knowledge and passion Rob brought to 301 Hot Sauce. Steve loved 301 and one of his favorite ways to enjoy 301 is using it to add zip and flavor to homemade spaghetti sauce – just enough heat to spice it up.
Unfortunately, Rob passed away in 2014. Many thought it was the end to 301 Hot Sauce.
The Re-Launch
Ken starting asking around about 301 Hot Sauce, messaging the 301 Hot Sauce Facebook page on July 15, 2019. Little did he know Steve was still an admin and messaged him back.
The exchange went something like this:
Ken: “Is this working for the 301 Hot Sauce?”
Steve: 301 is no longer after Rob passed away. (This is Steve).
Ken: “OK, can you talk?”
When they talked, Ken explained his vision of a global hot sauce empire, including sponsoring a NASCAR driver at the Daytona 500. Steve, ever the realist, started talking logistics to make sure this was going to be a business and not an expensive hobby.
Ken wanted to see if they could start making 301 Hot Sauce again. After several emails and calls with Rob’s sister and Brother-in-law, Ken and Steve bought the recipe and remaining inventory of 301. They were happy someone was continuing to Rob’s legacy and 301 Hot Sauce would continue.
Eleven long months later and a lot of knowledge gained in food manufacturing, FDA food labeling, web design, and shipping (among many other topics), 301 Hot Sauce was re-launched on June 9, 2020, with the first production run in almost a decade.
What Makes 301 Hot Sauce Different?
Anyone can create an extremely hot sauce. Just add peppers and oils until no one can stand the heat. Look around in the store and on-line and you can see scorpion this and ghost that – all with a mission to bring the pain.
301 Hot Sauce is different as taste is the priority. The base is cherry peppers, which is unusual for a hot sauce. It’s a sweet and smoky sauce with a bit of heat to remind you it’s a hot sauce. Not too hot, but with some warmth for the aftertaste – more of a flavor boost. With a base of cherry peppers combined with habanero peppers, molasses, and a touch of bourbon to bring a smoky finish, 301 is great on almost everything!
The People Behind the Curtain
Ken Gulledge – The Big Guy
Ken retired from the Navy as a Chief Petty Officer and recently retired again after some consulting jobs. Ken’s goal is to create the next great hot sauce empire!
Ken’s favorite way to enjoy 301 Hot Sauce is on riblets and adding it to his Bloody Mary.
Steve Durr – The Sales and Marketing Guy
Steve is a marketing manager at an international safety company by day, and 301’s sales and marketing team including webmaster, art designer, shipping, inventory, and a few other hats in his spare time. Steve’s goal is to help Ken make 301 Hot Sauce a profitable company and build a successful food empire.
Steve’s favorite way to enjoy 301 Hot Sauce is on a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich and in spaghetti sauce for some extra zip.