Kung Fu Monkey Brand

While I Breathe, I Hope

2010-09-25T14:06:00.001-04:00

Our dreams and desires are the fantastical glue of our well being and inner happiness. Without the nuturing and development of our dreams our lives become robotic, guided by mere survival. When you see a dream; through hard work, discipline and determination, forged into a reality, you can begin to understand what America means.

Once you realize that a dream, a hopeful thought, with continued effort will pay off, pan out and make a difference you will understand why we should protect those dreams; from anyone or anything that threatens to strip them away. The dream is the root of the spirit and hope is breath that keeps it alive; to have a dream stripped away, crushed and tossed in with the refuse is a more horrible reality than most imagine it to be. For without a dream, without a concrete vision, life dies or at the least is destined to wilderness and desparation.

Some have said that hope is a dangerous thing; that it leads us into false confidence and keeps us bound to something, someone or an ideal for far too long; that our hopes, the seeds of dreams, consist mainly of well wishing; fantasies strewn throughout our psyche keeping us from a harsh reality of disappointment; however, one must without fail, and at all costs, protect and nuture the hopes from which spring dreams that one can build into happiness, prosperity, and true liberty.

I say hope is a grand and dangerous thing; like a well placed run-on sentence.

In the Kitchen

2010-09-24T00:42:00.001-04:00

Made a real tasty Southern Style Mustard BBQ Sauce for a pork butt today featuring, corriander, ginger, peaches and Kung Fu Monkey Brand's, 5 Elements Spice Blend. Tart, sweet, spicy and just enough fruit flavor to make you think about it while you chewed your way to heaven. Nothing tastier than a nice butt.

The Big Four

2010-08-01T14:14:00.000-04:00

Like Detroit's Big Three Automakers, there are the Big Four of the Hot Sauce world. Namely, Tabasco, Frank's Red Hot, Texas Pete, and Crystal; all of which are Louisianan Style hot sauces. The Big Four have been around for a long time and delivery a consistant peppery product, though lacking in some areas. It is doubtful that anyone anywhere will ever topple the empires created by these sauces; and no one should ever try.

No one should ever try to unseat the Big Four, because they are important to the food industry. These four provide a great product at a low price, consistently and respectfully with every bottle. They are the ambassadors to the world, in a bottle. Providing jobs, good incomes, opportunities and breaking down barriers to American culture across the globe these guys open doors where there aren't any doors to open.

Keep doing what you do.

Gettin' my Monkey On!

2010-07-13T00:54:00.004-04:00

We've been ironing out some wrinkles in our business plan...which had led us to a massive delay in taking over the world.

Sauce Happens

Nothing Risked . . .

2009-05-27T23:53:00.006-04:00

Our country is one of practically limitless opportunity. Even though our overblown governmental rules and regulations often grab enterprising individuals by the throat and squeeze with little mercy, sheer determination and force of will can break this stranglehold and propel the industrious goal reacher forward.

After all, the only other option is to just 'play it safe'. Take no risks, set goals which do nothing to stretch your imagination and extend your reach. Concentrate on having a regular career, a 'real job' with a surefire (?), but unsatisfying, paycheck. A job which does nothing to nourish the drives, dreams, and ambitions of an accomplishment-driven individual. A job which leeches every drop of desire and soon-to-be jaded joy from the soul.

The road less traveled is certain to be rougher, scarier, and overgrown with thorny difficulties. Not an easy path, to be sure, and even the bold traveler who sees himself as that different sort of person, one who has an IDEA to sound out, a fixation which leads him to make the hard choice to follow the alternate route through life, is not guaranteed to find his destination at the end, but such a traveler is savvy enough to know that he IS guaranteed to NOT find his goal at the end of the easy path - that vapid, over-trodden thoroughfare leads to mere comfort from conformity, as well as disappointment, disillusionment, and self disgust.

Find your joy, revive your dreams, and then live.

Website Updated

2009-05-26T10:05:00.003-04:00

Kung Fu Master M has recently updated our website and I must say that it looks spectacular.

You can view it here at Kung Fu Monkey Brand .

Retailers Stocked for Memorial Day

2009-05-17T10:17:00.001-04:00

I've contacted all of our current retailers and they are stocked for Memorial Day.
May your businesses be blessed with the traffic of a Boston rush hour.

The Hot Pepper Awards

2009-05-16T10:09:00.001-04:00

It is time for the annual Hot Pepper Awards. We will enter again this year. We will be defending our two time category title for Best Marinade, and a lesser win for best hot sauce in the pepper blend sub-category.

With a little luck we will be successful.

Master Steve

Life's little treasures

2009-05-15T10:13:00.001-04:00

Okay, so it's no big secret that we have been working on other product formulations. It's actually expected. The latest has been a barbeque sauce, at which I have failed miserably in its creation.

My hat is off to those who have created really great tasting barbeque sauces as they have to be the most complex sauces on the planet. Not really, some may say, but to create a unique, tasty and noteworthy sauce takes skill.

Politicians

2009-05-14T13:01:00.000-04:00

I love the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America!

Raising Arizona

2009-05-13T11:35:00.001-04:00

No leads!? Everybody leaves behind microbes and what not. Ain't that your forte? Tracking down them microbes? Something out there leads to him, and you're spending time in the one house in the state of Arizona where my boy ain't at.

Seven little labels

2009-05-12T11:32:00.000-04:00

When we started this business we sat down and brainstormed about products. Those ideas guide us still. I have them written down and I refer to them often.

Seven products are what we imagined. We have four ready, and the other three are just waiting for really good artwork.

Seven little ideas can change the future.

Fighting for the Future

2009-05-11T11:27:00.002-04:00

Thinking after acting is like standing on train track. -fortune cookie

Each little obstacle that one encounters is an opportunity for success. Overcome the obstacle and you will pass on to the next obstacle. Building a future takes the heart of a warrior and the dedication to a single outcome. Complete the task of the highest priority and then tackle the next.

Standing on the train track will get you crushed.

Master Steve

Adding Meta Tags

2009-05-10T08:30:00.001-04:00

Adding meta tags to your blog page can increase traffic to your sight. You will need a bit of code to do this, but that is easy. Finding the proper key words to add to the HTML code is also easy, if you think outside the box. I got my key words from Yahoo. I went through all the steps to create an ad for my site and during the process I copied the keywords that Yahoo provided. I then converted these into proper format for HTML, saved a copy of the code in "notepad", then copied and pasted the code onto the Blogger template's HTML. Pretty snazzy.

If you don't know a damn thing about HTML you can learn for free from About.com. There is a ten part course that will give you the basics. If you have $25.00 you can buy XHTML for Dummies. Good stuff.

Master Steve

Gnus is news

2009-05-09T08:30:00.003-04:00

Sometimes the best laid plans just lay there. -fortune cookie

Every success that we have in business and our lives pushes toward the ultimate goal that we have set for ourselves. Even when that success is small, it is success. We can't move forward unless we move ahead.

We have added three new retailers this month which is great. Adding 30 would be great as well. But 3 is better than none.

It's these little successes that build the greater success. In little things we learn to do big things.

Contests

2009-05-08T08:30:00.000-04:00

This year we plan to re-enter the Hot Pepper Awards and The Scovie Awards for certain. We would like to enter the Zest Fest to compete for the Golden Chili Award, but we may just burn through our contest budget dollars by then.

Business is slowly and surely moving ahead. As the turtle said, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Fortune

2009-05-07T08:00:00.003-04:00

Like Grandfadda say, "It not rain everyday."

As the old saying goes, 'into your life a little rain must fall', and when it rains, it pours. Growing up in the South...especially the agricultural South, rain is a good thing. I can see, though, that too much rain can really be a bitch. I've always wondered what the intention of the adages were though...maybe both. Some things can go either way.

Personally, I like the rain. It cools things down and makes things grow. Now, here is the tie in to all of this and the hot sauce business; growing a business slowly is frustrating, nevertheless it affords us the luxury of fine tuning as we go. Personally, I hate growing slowly, I would rather build it fast and sloppy then remodel the whole damn thing later. When it rains, you need shelter, and building that shelter slowly could make you a bigger target for a lightning strike.

Master Steve

Booyah Beach Traffic

2009-05-06T08:33:00.002-04:00

Okay, here is our new retailer:

Island Mermaid
1009-A Ocean Blvd
Isle of Palms, SC 29451

843-886-6387

I am very excited about this location. Ocean Boulevard on the Isle of Palms is a great place to shop, hangout, get drunk and see the ocean.

Go to the beach, yall. And buy some Monkey

Master Steve

Technology

2009-05-05T09:53:00.003-04:00

You gotta love technology, or at least appreciate it.

We have developed so many mechanical, electrical, and electronic devices that one person can do the work of five. Accounting software alone can do the work of three bookkeepers. Wow, what a world to live in.

But is it worth it? Really? Sure, we have the ability to outperform ourselves and we are paying the price. Employers pay less wages to employees today for twice the amount of work than the wages that were being paid fifty years ago...when you factor in the consumer price index. We work hard for all that we get.

But it's not the employers' faults...entirely. Employers only have so much money to pay for employees. Jets are expensive, and new Ford F-350's get poor gas mileage. I understand that if you have a suit for each day of the month you can get a lot of wear out your wardrobe. Sorry, I disgust.

There is a better way...ask your grandfather.

Master Steve

Pushing Ahead

2009-05-04T13:44:00.002-04:00

Each day spent in the anticipation of tomorrow's success or failure is a day wasted on nothing. The only easy day was yesterday. Take action today and forge ahead regardless of uncertainty. Pushing past the pain one can achieve great things, though they may come as small successes.

Starting and staying in business takes committment from oneself. One must overcome fear, ego and hurdle the obstacles that challenge the path of success. Only those fully committed to the outcome will have the strength to endure.

Master Steve

Waterparks

2009-05-03T13:45:00.003-04:00

Have to be the greatest invention of the modern era.

Bill and Ted were right.

Master Steve

Co-Packer

2009-05-02T14:12:00.003-04:00

Just got some samples in from a co-packer we approached about producing our sauce. The samples are good, but not really our product. I will need to further communicate our specifications.

More on this later

Master Steve

Fortune

2009-05-01T16:39:00.002-04:00

We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.

Master Steve

New Retailer

2009-05-01T13:36:00.006-04:00

Bruce Zipper at Zippy's Hot Shop has become our newest new retailer.

Zippy's Hot Shop
916 Axlewood Circle
Brandon, FL 33511
813-390-8115

Thanks Bruce,

May you be blessed with the heat of a Thousand Chilis.

Master Steve

Working with a Co-Packer

2009-04-30T18:49:00.003-04:00

Co-Packers produce your products in large quantities allowing you the luxury of enjoying a lower unit price. Costs vary throughout the process. Before you hand over your recipe and product samples be sure to get signed confidentiality agreements from the Co-Packer. This protects you and ensures that if your recipe is leaked you have legal resource to sue.

Costs will vary with different co-packers. Ask for a breakdown of bottle charges, labeling charges, bottling charges and finally product charges. The greatest cost you will incur will be the physical package into which your product is bottled. Be flexible witht the packaging. If your co-packer can get a similarly shaped bottle with the same volume consider this as a lower cost alternative.

Expect to pay for test batch ingredients and at least half the cost of the full run up front. If your co-packer will accept payment via credit card this may allow you to free up some needed cash. If not then you will need to bite the bullet and pay with capital. Keep in touch and on top of your co-packer, but realize that you are not the only client.

Be sure to get the test batch as close to the original in the first try, but do not under any circumstances go ahead with a bad recipe because of pressure to produce. Get it right. Once you are satisfied with the test batch results, order your first minimum order.

Do not order more than the minimum as, though the test batches were good, there is no guarantee that the first full run will be great.

It a process, so stick it out

Master Steve

Booyah Beach Traffic

2009-04-29T13:11:00.003-04:00

It looks like we have a new retailer. I will list the details after delivery, but we will have Red Dragon in a highly visible, high traffic retail location on the Isle of Palms.

Persistence Pays.

Master Steve

bang bang

2009-04-28T23:53:00.003-04:00

I love these firecracker chilis.

Forward Movement

2009-04-27T23:21:00.004-04:00

One step forward is a step in the only direction.

As we all struggle to "make it" in the days ahead. We will face easy days and hard weeks. Someone once said that the only easy day was yesterday. This is true only if you live not in fear of what the future will bring. Ahead for us all is a day of personal and financial revolution.

That day is the day each of us realize that our bright futures are either imagination or a dream to be fulfilled by our efforts. It is not our bank accounts at stake, nor is poor economy really affecting our bottom lines; each day the highways are packed with people about their business.
Restaurants, though not as busy as last year are full of patrons. The economy is moving.

What is truly at stake here is not our survival in a physical sense. We will physically endure, but our spirit may not. America is not a land, a people or a super power. America is an idea and a promise: the idea that we may prosper by our efforts, and the promise that our prosperity will not be taken away by those who we charge with its protection.

The Constitution provides all Americans with the idea and the promise. However, if we do not protect ourselves from ignorance then those whom we elect can and will abuse the power of the Constitution.

We the people are industrious, laborous, and clever. We put a man on the moon for god's sake. We can bring prosperity back to the People. We can remove those from power with a simple cast of a ballot. We can believe in the power of our individualism, and we can do it all by simply trusting in our own abilities.

Toil awhile...endure awhile...believe always...and never turn back. -fortune cookie

Kung Fu Master Steve

Twitter

2009-04-27T11:53:00.003-04:00

Yes, I know. Twittering is cliche.

However, we are not.

Marketing is marketing; and in the information age one must every means available to market, advertise and convince others to spend $5.99 on a bottle of hot sauce.

KFMB_Steve

It's all about traffic, and exposure. Like sunbathing on the interstate.

Booyah Beach Traffic

2009-04-26T16:26:00.002-04:00

Been targeting some gift shops at the beach.

Things look promising.

KFMB

Los Tacos estan muy bueno!

2009-04-25T11:27:00.005-04:00

The savory flavor of Mexican cuisine has populated North America with amazing results. In every city throughout US and most of Canada one can find a Mexican eatery. I prefer the taqueria-those little one man stands at intersections throughout the Southeast where latinos line up to get flautas, burritos, taco, chalupas, tostadas and flan. These establishments have the best tasting foods because...they are manned by Latinos.

But, Latino hot sauces do not appeal to me, on Tex-Mex cuisine. I like Melinda's hot sauces, I like Valencia, and Cholula on certain dishes. However, I prefer a less savory hot sauce to augment savory cuisine. As a juxtaposition to the savory flavors of South American cuisine Red Dragon Pepper Sauce adds complexity and touch of what we at Kung Fu Monkey Brand call "Carib-Asian" quality.

The next time your in the mood for tacos or burritos, or a santa maria try spicing it up Red Dragon Pepper Sauce from Kung Fu Monkey Brand. Your palate will thank you.

Wishing you the spiciest,

Master Steve.

Fortune

2009-04-24T11:34:00.003-04:00

No one is standing in your way anymore, it is time to move forward. -fortune cookie

The life of business is much like the life of sharks: If there is no forward movement the outcome is death.

The specialty gourmet hot sauce is a niche market, but worth billions. To rise above the fray to be recognized requires advertising, a dedication to the outcome and marketing.

Master Steve

Economy

2009-04-23T06:53:00.004-04:00

Look! Good fortune is around you. -fortune cookie

The Economy sucks, or does it? Big business and mega-wealthy corporate bankers have royally screwed over the American economy. Derivatives backed, and un-backed, by AIG, and the subsequent fall of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have destroyed thousands of lives. These criminals and the criminal mindset that put these pieces into play should be personally held accountable. These companies are legal persons under the law that prosecutes the small to medium business owner for equal negligence, exhortion, and criminal accounting practices.

The Golden Rule holds true: He who has the gold makes the rules.

The Constitution of the United States and the government of this broken land was established "of the people, by the people and for the people." Yet, it is the people who must make the "hard sacrifices" to restore this country's economy, as President Obama often states. How about this, We the People of the United States of America demand of our President, his Cabinet and our members of Congress to fully seek out and prosecute those CEO's, Companies, and Legislators who relaxed the laws allowing the creation, purchase and trade of derivatives. We the People demand full restitution and reparations be made to us, the individuals, whose families are left destitute, struggling and devoid of possible hope by these All-powerful and Protected persons.

I find it amazing to see that America, with all of its concern for political correctness, its social softness to sensitive issues, its fear of foreign national opinion, and its war for oil against terror will do nothing to prosecute the economic terrorists who are Citizens of this country. These people caused more harm to America that Al-Quaida ever did in the Tower Bombings. Yet, we do nothing. No word is heard from Americans.

We are quick to take up arms against others, but those who destroy our lives are given a pass. We need change and hope. Yes, Mr. President we want change and we want hope. We also want justice, decisive justice.

It seems though that Change uses very little sense.

Dum Spiro Spero.

Master Steve

Using a Co-Packer

2009-04-22T13:23:00.003-04:00

Having a co-packer to produce our sauces and spice blends will solve a major production problem that we have. At present we can produce on demand in small batches but that requires scheduling time in the commercial kitchen, acquiring components from multiple sources, and dealing with the headaches associated with juggling a project like this with family.

The Co-Packer is the solution. These services will greatly help and give us a greater amount of legitimacy, and give us a newer headache: the expense of a co-packer. It's time to forge ahead and take the path before us.

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

Fortune

2009-04-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

Failure is the path of least Persistence.

Un-Approved Uses

2009-04-20T09:36:00.005-04:00

For your advisement I've listed below some unapproved uses of our product. If you use our pepper sauces for these uses you are at fault for any problems that you may experience.

Do Not Use Our Products For:

Eye Drops.

Nasal Rinse.

Baby Lotion.

Shower Gel.

Treating Acne.

Depilatory applications.

Laundry Detergent.

Wound Care.

Lip Balm.

Personal Lubricant.

Dishwasher Detergent.

Treating Yeast Infections.

Motor Oil Substitute.

Power Steering Fluid.

Ink Jet Refill.

Mouth Wash.

Anti-Bacterial Ointment.

Window Cleaner.

Carpet Spot Remover.

Treating Gastric-Esophageal Reflux Disease.

Treating Hemorrhoids.

Denture Adhesive.

Contraceptive.

Jock Itch.

Kung Fu Master Steve

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

The Distance

2009-04-19T21:59:00.003-04:00

Persistence pays.

By far the most difficult aspect of business is the commitment to success.

Bang the gong at the Temple steps until the priest lets you in.

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

Label Designs

2009-04-18T10:12:00.004-04:00

Let's face it you know what you want. You know what "it" is supposed to look like. You know how "it" is supposed to operate. You have expectations on many things in life.

The same is true of label design. No one knows better how your product is supposed to look other than you. You may be able to communicate these preferences in accurate detail, you may not. Hopefully you have some measure of artistic talent. If you don't, you are not a failure.

Label design can be hectic. It is the ultimate advertisement. You can see it, you can touch it, you can read it. It is tangible and represents your product. It better damn well meet your expectations and appeal to your focus group. If you don't have any artistic inclinations I suggest you hire an artist. You can get one cheap if you're creative.

Getting an artist cheap takes talent. I would suggest that you approach friends and family and tell them that you having a label contest, open this contest up to the public at large...you can place an ad on Google, and offer a prize of cash and "street cred." Both of these prizes will drive the artists to do a good job. Hey - you are offering them to display their talents nationally on a product forever. That is some serious "street cred."

If you do have artistic talent, then you need an art program. I use CorelDRAW X3. I also suggest using Adobe Illustrator, or Adobe Photoshop. Any of these programs are great. I grew up using CorelDraw, and am happy with its capabilities and it's a couple hundred bucks cheaper than the Adobe products.

That's all for now

Master Steve

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

Amazingly Grilled Chops

2009-04-17T13:47:00.006-04:00

I love grilled pork chops and pork tenderloin. However, many times pork chops have little flavor. Let's face it, Americans need to eat leaner cuts of meat, and the American pork producers have answered the demands of the public by offering leaner pork chops. This is great, but with a less fatty cut of pork comes less natual flavor. My solution is marinating and grilling.

We created a marinade last year called "Happy Monkey Marinade" and have won two 1st Place Hot Pepper Awards for it. We designed this sauce to give grilled meats and veggies a wonderful Asian and Tropical flavor without a heavy sauce. I have friends who do not like pork, but will devour a serving our marinated pork.

The papaya acts a tenderizer, the spices add so much flavor, and the hint of lime and spice really gives the palate a blend of Singapore and Kingstown. We are very happy with this marinade.

We are working to bring this to market in full force, so it's not readily available, but we can handle onesies or twosies at the moment.

Good Eating!

Master Steve
Kung Fu Monkey Brand

The Day After

2009-04-16T09:18:00.005-04:00

Finally, Tax Day has passed.

Let me just plug a product for those of you who are starting a business or are a small business owner: QuickBooks.

Having a small business accounting software program will greatly increase your profitability in several ways. First you will see where you money (profit) is going. Secondly, you can do it yourself. Third, easy tax day preparation.

When you see where your money is going you will become sensitive to these expenses. You will be able to identify your greatest expenses and begin to think of creative ways in order to limit or even eliminate those expenses. Sometimes it is best to learn how to effective use expenses to get you more tax breaks. Having this information available at a moments notice and with click of a mouse gives you power.

Unfortunately, the small business owner may not have the cash flow to hire a full-time or part-time bookkeeper. No worries, QuickBooks can do it for you...if you stay on top of the pile. You can download information from your bank accounts and business credit cards into your QuickBooks program. You can categorize these charges, and expeditures into their proper accounts and the program will help you to stay on top of the pile of paperwork. If you strive to use a debit and credit card for all of your expenditures, life becomes even easier.

When tax time comes you can simply give your CPA a copy of the file. Wow, who knew?

Kung Fu Master Steve
Kung Fu Monkey Brand

Creating a Winner, 2

2009-04-15T10:18:00.001-04:00

The next task on our huge list of "What to do next" was to create an attractive label. The label is probably the most important element in the hot sauce package. The label is your 3x5 advertisement and it must do one thing extremely well: entice the shopper to pick your bottle out of the lineup of a thousand compettitors; if you're lucky you will only compete with a dozen on the same shelf.

We enjoyed designing the label and went through about 15 versions until we settled on the current design. The first label we had was designed using Microsoft Publisher and a lot of clip art. This exercise gave us a better idea as to the layout, shape, color, and viewable area. The "viewable area" of the label is about 35%, and that is the center 35%. This is where you will need to focus all your attention. The remaining 65% will contain a nutrition label, address, ingredient list, and a side panel for your creative mind to sum up the contents.

The label must also comply with local agriculture standards as well as FDA standards. You can learn about these guidelines through your local Department of Agriculture. While you are searching look for a "specialty food association." Most states will have a sub-department dedicated to supporting local food manufacturers in their quest for success. Here in South Carolina we have the "SC Specialty Foods Association." They are very helpful.

After much collaboration and many revisions we had our label design. Our next hurdle was getting a UPC....

Kung Fu Master Steve

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

Heat

2009-04-14T10:46:00.001-04:00

You gotta love the heat. Food today seems so boring. Sure we can stack it high, and garnish our dishes with sticks of herbs and fancifully rosed vegetables. But where is the heat?

Spice up your dishes!

Spicy foods help your body - numerous university studies have shown this. Don't be afraid of the heat.

Spice is Life

Kung Fu Master Steve

Seeking "NO"

2009-04-13T10:55:00.000-04:00

During the sales process you are bound to get a "no" at some point. Actually you should expect it, even relish it. The more sales calls you make the more negative responses you are bound to recieve. Sales is a simple numbers game. If you make 10 sales calls you will have 7 negative responses and 3 positive responses. Of those three responses you will be able to close 1 or 2 to complete the sale.

I seek the "No" because it puts me closer to yes. A yes means that my product is available for the immediate public and that puts me closer to success.

Happy Hunting

Kung Fu Master Steve

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

Marinade: Quick and Spicy

2009-04-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

1 T Soy Sauce
1 T Worchestershire Sauce
1 T Olive Oil
1 tsp Red Dragon Pepper Sauce
Juice and Zest of lime
Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients well and pour over poultry, pork, beef, or lamb.

This is a great little marinade that I have used time and again. It's easy to make and remember, and give meat a wonderful flavor, especially if you grill up your favorite meats.

If you want your meal to be spicier, brush on Red Dragon just before you remove your dinner from the grill. Wow Oh Wow.

Happy Eating

Kung Fu Master Steve

Marketing the Monkey

2009-04-10T12:52:00.002-04:00

Over the past couple of years as we have been marketing Red Dragon Pepper Sauce and developing new sauces to add to our product line, most of the barriers we have experienced are overcome with relative ease. Most barriers from getting the product out of the test kitchen and onto the shelves where the public can purchase it are not that difficult to overcome. However, the biggest obstacle that we have experienced and continue to deal with is "underfunding."

The lack of capital is the most frustrating and fundamentally challenging aspect of any business. Venture Capitalists will tell you that 9 or 10 startup businesses will fail. If you eliminate capital, then all of them will fail. Not having enough capital to start, stay, and succeed in business is why so many great ideas and better products are never enjoyed by the consumer.

There is a better mouse trap. There is a 50 MPG car. There is a solar solution. There is a better hot sauce.

Everyone in North America knows Heinz Ketchup, and Pace Picante Sauce. Why? Because these products have backing and those backers have made damn sure that you know what there product is, and where to buy it.

We all want the best for ourselves. We have a better product - possibly the best. Try it.

Kung Fu Master Steve

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

Furocious Flavor

2009-04-09T14:12:00.001-04:00

If you can't stand the heat then get out of the kitchen.

The question I get with every conversation about hot sauce is this, "How hot is it?" No one can answer that question because spiciness is a percieved subjective characteristic. Sure it can be quantified, but the Scoville Scale is somewhat subjective. I tell everyone that it is hotter than you might think, but not as hot as you expect, but we aren't about heat. I can make a hot sauce so spicy that one bottle would last you a year and a quarter if you used a mililiter a day. It's not about the heat it's about the taste.

Tabasco brand hot sauce v. Frank's Red Hot brand hot sauce. This is a classic comparison. Because you have heat v. flavor. Tabasco has more spiciness than flavor and Frank's has more flavor than spiciness. Or pick Texas Pete brand hot sauce v. Crystal brand hot sauce. Same amount of heat, but Texas Pete tastes better, less like a paper napkin. Of these "Big Four" brands of Louisiana style hot sauce. Frank's and Tabasco have the greatest head to head conflict, and each will beat the other given the panel of tasters.

The truth is this, You either like it or not. We make our sauce to utilize all four taste factors, sweet, sour, salty, bitter. We developed the recipe testing a variety of bases and chilies to ultimately give your palate a one-two punch. We make it hot enough to satisfy the expert and make the novice wince just a little.

So how hot is too hot. Try us out and see for yourself, chances are though you will reach for us before any other in your collection...yeah it's that good. And just to warn you our sauces have a cumulative burn, the more you eat the hotter it gets.

Be afraid, be very afraid

Kung Fu Master Steve

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

Danger in a Bottle

2009-04-09T01:21:00.000-04:00

Hot sauce is hot sauce; right? It does one practical thing: delivers concentrated spiciness where it is needed. Hot sauce turns bland foods into something alive, dangerous, and cutting edge. That little bottle of red, brown, orange, or yellow liquid does something amazing...it makes food dangerous.

Danger is what we need in our posh, polished and safe society. On average, in America, we have little to fear. And outside of warzones, conflict areas, and third world nations, the majority of the world lives in relative safety and peace. Gone are the dinosaurs, giant bears, and predatory animals seeking to eat us. We know what foods to eat, and what to avoid. At this point in our planetary evolution we can eat in peace and relative safety.

But who wants that? We want cliff diving desserts, rock wall roll ups, shark swimming soups, and mountaineering main courses. We need fear, danger, and the adrenalin rush that leads up to, endures, and follows after a near fatal experience. We need hot sauce on our burgers, in our soup, smeared on our grilled salmon, mixed with our shrimp and grits, and dare I say it dripped on our apple pie.

We need pepper sauces so flavorful that we would fight our mothers for the bottle. We need to be fearful of that little drop of intensity and what it might do to our palate. We need hot sauce because we are human, and there are no more frontiers to be discovered. We need hot sauce because it is the next frontier...in a bottle.

Spiciness doth abide.

Kung Fu Master Steve

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

Creating a Winner, 1

2009-04-08T07:58:00.000-04:00

When we set out on this project our goal was to create a great tasting award winning product and we did just that. We started with a little research. Sounds a little boring, but it was fun. We collected over 80 different hot sauces that we found in local specialty and grocery stores, and we also created several recipes at home, which we sampled.

The sampling day involved a lot of ice cream and milk. We decided that we would sample and critique each sauce according certain criterion. These criteria were label design, bottle shape, color of sauce, aroma, viscosity, chunkiness (the amount veggie matter floating about in the sauce), spiciness, sweetness, sourness. At the end of the tasting we found that the sauces we like the best had certain characteristics that the other sauces did not have. Our goal was to create a sauce that was unique, and possessed the characteristics of the sauces we had sampled.

Over the next six months we worked separately creating and sampling different recipes. After one night of "kitchen research" I had an idea, and dashed to the kitchen to mix up a sample batch. This prototype hit every note dead on. We were excited, but had no idea what to do next, except eat it on everything we could find. And we did.

We new nothing about food product manufacturing, so over the next year, we did more research into food product manufacturing, hot sauce contests, bottling standards, other hot sauce companies and anything we could find that touched on our project. We found a lot of information and realized that there were a lot hurdles and barriers to overcome. Most of which could be easily overcome with lots of money...which we did not have.

Next week I'll discuss more on this under the same heading "Creating a Winner."

Spice it up.

Kung Fu Master Steve

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

Do we need another hot sauce?

2009-04-07T01:17:00.002-04:00

Yes.

In the universe of hot sauce, condiments, marinades, and barbeque sauces there are a multitude of choices. The variety is finite and boundless much like the nature of the universe itself. As the taste of the consumers expand so must the product offering. The individual consumer knows that there is a world of heat and flavor out there beyond the "Big Four," but may not know how to reach it.

Each sauce provider gives the world a drop of art in a bottle. Unfortunately, sometimes that drop of art is horribly offensive to the palate, so too is freedom. Freedom at times must shamelessly express itself in the most offensive form in order to demostrate its affect. We support this...in theory. I have tasted horribly offensive hot sauces; sauces which deliver heat, yet have a taste close to shoe leather and aftershave. I have tasted sauces which are so nicely packaged that my lips quivered in anticipation of that first fiery drop; only to be disgusted with a lack of flavor and heat. Sometimes ketchup has more to offer.

This abuse of freedom is what gives hot sauce marketing a bad name. This is what prompted the creation of Kung Fu Monkey Brand. We love hot sauce, but hate the taste of it. Spicy is good, but runny, thin, red vinegar isn't. We need sauce with body, substance, strength, fortitude and good taste.

Hot sauce is an expression of personal liberty and a function of the quantum universe. We must protect it and study it. Hot Sauce lives, functions and goes great on fried chicken.

Kung Fu Master Steve

Kung Fu Monkey Brand

PS: Though I am excited about new retailers carrying my product, I have to give credit to the many other retailers who have supported my grass roots effort to bring a food product to the consumer. I'm not going to list them all here, but you can see the list on the website.

New Retail Location

2009-04-06T11:29:00.003-04:00

Red Dragon Pepper Sauce is now available in Wilmington, North Carolina. Frank Powell the owner of Fire and Spice has stocked his shelves with our award winning product. His hot shop is located at 350 Nutt Street, in the Cotton Exchange. You can also call Fire and Spice at 910-762-3050.

May the heat of a thousand chiles be with you.

Kung Fu Master Steve
Kung Fu Monkey Brand