Now In: About Us

 

Dr. GONZO’s Uncommon Condiments, Inc.
( good fer what ails ya! )
Presents:
An Interview With the “Doctor” Circa: 2002

Why did you initially make these products (Peppermash & Mustard)?
If I had found products like ours on the super market shelves I would have bought them.  If you believe the premise that friends should not allow friends to drink bad beer, then you can understand our passion for quality condiments. I love honey mustard but the flavor has no “kick”, I love the heat of Chinese and German mustards but they lack flavor and constancy/texture. PEPPERMASH was the same; there was no product like it on the market, so I had to develop products for my family and friends to suit our needs.
 

How long did it take to develop the products?
Perfecting the Mustard Plaster recipe took close to 9 years. I want to thank my friends and family for being the subjects of these first experiments. It took a while to develop a recipe that produced consistent heat and texture.

 

The PEPPERMASH recipe was a fluke and I was lucky to hit the basic mixture on the first try.  My wife and I had been making and giving a way a home made salsa for ten years. Friends would place their orders at Christmas for August and September deliveries. But in 1995, there was a bumper crop of peppers coincided with a tomato blight that killed off most of our tomato crop. Our annual salsa production was cut from 15-20 gallons to 2.5 gallons and we had a lot of peppers that needed a good recipe.

We were having a cook out that evening for some friends and I was looking to develop a condiment to put on grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and sausages. I placed a handful of this and that into a food processor and came up with what we now call PEPPERMASH.

 

How was the product first introduced to vendors and the public?
We gave away the Mustards, Salsas and PEPPERMASH for holiday and special occasions to friends, family and whomever liked it with no intention of going into business.

But then, in the summer of 2001, the PEPPERMASH showed up at Ralph’s Chadwick Square Diner (in my opinion, home of Worcester’s best burgers) as a special. Our good friends Pat and Brenda of Piggy Pat’s South Carolina BBQ of New Hartford, NY started serving it on a pulled pork sandwich with good results. At that point we realized that we had a product that folks really liked. Legally we could not continue to produce the product in our kitchen any longer and therefore, started to look into developing a business plan and seeking a co-packer to produce our product.
 

Who helps you in making the products?
Many people have made this project happen. My lovely wife Kathleen, and children Emily, Abigail, Parker, Sarah and Hannah. The great folks at the Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center. The spectacular design work of Kadia Barenbuam, Shawn Capizzi.  And, of course, all the great folks that love our products, they are the ones that created the initial “buzz” and groundswell of support that nudged us into production.

Why are some jars of PEPPERMASH different colors?
The Jalapeno and cherry peppers that we use for PEPPERMASH naturally range from red to green. We work hard to provide a consistent flavor, heat level and texture of PEPPERMASH and think that the different color variations are a bonus, be the first on your block to collect them all!

 

What is the company’s 5-year goal?
Become a local presence with a production facility that would be a benefit to our community. Control the rate of growth to maintain the product quality. Develop a profitable system that integrates production/distribution/web presence.

 

Who is your target audience?
Initial taste tests and surveys showed that our initial hunch was correct, our target market initially was primarily the 24+-year-old male BUT, it is important to note that these same taste test surveys have shown that even folks that do not like the product would purchase the products and recommend them to their friends. “That’s terrible! But, my kids would love it.” -Actual response.

 

After years of taking the "Travelling Medicine Show" on the road our initial instincts have had to be expanded. People of all ages, sizes, shapes, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds seem to be drawn to the flavor of our products. 92 year old women, young children, fusion chefs and NASCAR fans, violent vegetarians and barbeque fanatics all claim that our products are the best thing since sliced bread. Yep, it threw our marketing plan for a loop. With a customer base this broad, where do you advertize? AARP or Nicklodeon? Field & Stream or Whole Earth Catalog?

You have been making your products for a few years now, have you tired of the taste?
This is a good question that can be answered with two words, “Definitely not!” I am constantly amazed at the different ways our customers are using our products and enjoy them on our table almost on a daily basis.

 

What other products are you developing?
In  additions to our five hot pepper relishes (same basic recipe, just using different types and percentages of peppers to achieve different effects), two great mustards and our Buffalo Balm hot sauce we will be introducing our version of a Barbados style mustard sauce (Smoke Isle. Elixir) soon. There has also been a call to offer a "smooth" version of our XX Mustard Plaster XX. Let us know what you think.

 

What is the shelf life of the products?
As long as they are stored in cool dry areas all of our products are very shelf stable. We occasionally open jars of product made in 2002 and find that the relishes really age well. This now makes me think that we should set aside a percentage of the production runs to offer 'aged' versions of our relishes.

 

The mustards may loose a bit of thier 'nose' as they age, but they still maintain thier robust flavor. (this is another reason why we only sell them in 6 ounce jars)

 

Because all of our products are all natural, some separation may occur. Don't fret, just shake and serve.

 

Once opened our all natural condiments need to be refrigerated to maintain their fresh nature. But really, you should be able to consume any one of our jars in one sitting. Having trouble? Then invite a friend or two to join you! Now you don’t have to worry about that darn icebox!