177 – STACY MORITZ – HOW A CARRER IN NURSING LEAD TO RUNNING SECRET AARDVARK HOT SAUCE IN PORTLAND

Hosts Julie Slater and Jason Friday chat with Stacy Moritz – cofounder of Secret Aardvark hot sauce, based in Portland…another in-person pod with Stacy joining J&J in Los Angeles via Portland to Japan…Stacy just got back from a hot sauce trade show in Tokyo (like literally, just got off the plane from it)…the story behind the big blue aardvark mascot…how/where Aardvark got it’s start…the incredible story of her late husband Scott (who died from pancreatic cancer in 2009 at age 43) and how Stacy kept the company going…the not so glamorous side of owning a business (getting UPC codes, printing labels, etc.)…Stacy’s former job as a nurse and how becoming a government contractor helped her hone her business skills…the joy of a great PNL (profit and loss statement)…growing from farmer’s markets to retail…the stress of putting out her own hot sauces and wondering if they were “Scott worthy”…how green tomatoes made it into a new sauce…how Stacy started working with Taco Bell (Secret Aardvark Nacho Fries coming soon!)…and how Stacy gives a minimum of 3% gross profit back to the community each year…

IT’S 5 O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE….find out if Stacy carries hot sauce with her at all times…what bands she thinks match her Secret Aardvark style…Stacy’s favorite thing about Japan…what super power she would choose…and what Stacy thinks her late husband Scott would think about where she has taken Secret Aardvark company…

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- jULIE AND jASON