SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (WDJ) – A nine-year-old boy in Halifax County has his own business that’s really on fire.
Dragon’s breath, no AC, and soft heat. Those are just three of the hot sauces you can get from Frankie’s Spicy Farm.
Frankie Martinez He created the brand in 2021. His love for hot sauce started by accident.
“I have seizures, so I was in the hospital at the time,” Frankie Martinez said. “My dad and I ordered fries, but forgot the ketchup.”
His father went back to get ketchup but accidentally returned hot sauce instead.
“My mouth was burning when I tried it because it was my first time trying it. So, then I’m not as bad as hot soup. I wanted to work and create my own business,” added Martinez.
Martinez hopes more kids will develop a love for hot soup after trying his.
It currently has five different flavored hot sauces. “Child’s Play” is the mildest and “Blowtorch” is the hottest. With the help of some of his customers, he came up with the name Hottest Sauce at the Halifax Pizza Festival.
“In fact, we came up with the fifth that was sold. After all, we had no name. So let our people vote and ‘Blowtorch’ won. So it will be our new hot pick,” said Martinez.
While the products’ names sometimes come from the community, the ingredients are sourced from Martinez’s backyard. There you will find the spices and peppers he uses to create his fiery soups.
“We plant the pepper seeds and water them every day until they grow. “Then we get the peppers, dehydrate them, then cook them and add new recipes,” explained Martinez.
He gets some help from his parents in the kitchen, but the recipes are created as he goes.
“Mostly I come with them. My mom does the cooking because I’m not old enough to do all the cooking. Sometimes I say, ‘Oh, I think there’s onion in it,’ or ‘This should be a little spicy.’ So, I tell her what to do. She’s my manager. ” added Martinez.
The young entrepreneur is floundering in school, skipping two grades. The SOVA Innovation Hub believes in his mission and is allowing him to take college classes while helping him transition his business into an LLC.
Frankie’s Spicy Farm Hot Sauces can be pre-ordered through its Facebook page.
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