Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Laviolette.
Michael, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Our company started as a dream about a word… “Clamlube” back in 2015. While at my sister’s house in Grand Rapids Michigan for a pool party, I had a dream that her and her partner took my wife Debra and I to a new restaurant called the Clamlube. There is no such place, and while telling everyone the story about my dream the next morning, they started laughing and cracking jokes about this name Clamlube. All day by the pool there were one-liner like… If you have a squeaky wheel, put a little Clamlube on it… Everything slides better with Clamlube… Low on oil, fill up with Clamlube, etc., etc. We thought the word was clever and cute and knew it had some marketing potential but didn’t know what to do with it. When we got back home in Ohio, we were eating dinner one night and had one of my favorite hot sauces called Brenda’s Booty Burner. I looked at my wife and said… if someone can call a hot sauce Brenda’s Booty Burner, why can’t we call a hot sauce Clamlube. The Clamlube Brand of hot sauces was then born in August 2015! That weekend my wife (the real hot sauce creator and chef) made two recipes, one with peaches called Xtra Virgin and one with black cherries called Authentic Black. Over 2 years we developed 11 hot sauces under the Clamlube Brand that included names like Beach Party, Akua Kawaka (The Devils Barrel) Sea Ghost, California Zen, Zing Bling, Davy Jones Locker, and others. We also developed 3 salsas and a hot mustard. In 2019 we purchased Flavor & Fire LLC from John and Sue Hard (from the infamous Cajohn’s Fiery Foods company). This purchase included the retail store, Flavor & Fire, that has been at the North Market since 2006, and all of the Flavor & Fire Brands of Salsa’s, Hot Sauces, and BBQ’s. We now have two great Brands, Clamlube and Flavor & Fire, all under one roof. My wife Debra and I, along with my son Tyler, produce all of our products at our commercial kitchen in Westerville Ohio. Our production facility is over 13,000 square feet that includes a 2000 square foot kitchen, 7000 square feet of warehouse, and offices. We now produce an average of 500 gallons per week of various products We make our own pepper puree to ensure the highest quality ingredients in all of our products, processing thousands of pound of locally grown pepper each fall. We also co-pack for several other hot sauce companies, BBQ, Condiment Companies, and restaurants around the country. We now have over 100 products in production under our brands and are coming out with more all of the time. We make from the mildest heat levels to the extreme rip your face off hot sauce and salsas. We employ 3 full-time and over 10 part-time people between our store and the kitchen. We have three different businesses that include production of our own products, production of other food company’s products, and our retail store. And all of this started from a crazy dream one weekend at a pool party! Who would have thought?
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was not a smooth road although it’s been a great road! We struggled with growth and not enough space to grow in until we moved into our new facility at 816 Green Crest Dr. in Westerville. We struggled with not enough or the right equipment to help us grow and of course, the finances to purchase that equipment. Not enough room to store and warehouse ingredients and/or finished product. When we purchased the store in September of 2019, that helped with revenue Then, of course… Covid hit! The store was closed for a couple months, then only opened on Saturdays for several months. We had to lay off all of the employees, and our production for the store slowed down a great deal.
We’ve been impressed with Madstone USA Inc dba Flavor & Fire, Clamlube Brands, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Madstone USA Inc is our parent company started by my wife Debra, my brother-in-law Collin Stone and myself. Madstone stands for Mike and Deb “Mad,” then Collin Stone “Stone.” Because we have 3 different types of businesses all under one roof, “Madstone,” there are different objectives for each.
On the retail side… Flavor & Fire hot sauce shop has been in existence at the North Market, right by the Columbus Convention Center, since 2006. The store is really known for locally made, handcrafted small batch gourmet hot sauces, salsa, BBQ and condiments. We have over 100 different products that include ours, but many other small batch hot sauce, BBQ, condiment makers from around the country. The real thing that sets Flavor & Fire Hot Sauce Shop apart is the experience that our staff provides for our customers. It’s not so much about our large variety, but what happens when a customer comes into our shop. Our Daughter In Law Sarah McKimmy. She handles our social media and is an important part of our brick and mortor store (she works there as well) and promotes our brands through Facebook, Instagram and other social media. Her name on those site is “the_spicyasian” (she is Korean). She has thousands of followers on those platforms and really helps build our brands!
We have two different sampling/tasting stations set up, one for hot sauce and one for salsa. Our team members are super knowledgeable and truly enjoy engaging with the customers, helping them sample sauces that they think would be a good fit base on the customers’ pallet, actually trying hot sauce and salsa with the customers, making great recommendations, and having fun to make the customer experience something they won’t forget. We get comments all of the time about what a great time people had at the store and with our team members. I always tell new employees we are really in the entertainment business more so than the retail business.
We also have our online store https://flavorandfire.com/ and offer the same products we manufacture for our store on this site.
For the co-packing side… we grew that business by catering to small startup makers that were getting too big to manufacture themselves but couldn’t afford the minimum order quantity (MOQ) that the majority of co-packers offered. We had the same thing happen to us when we first started and were not able to find a co-packer that would take on the small amount we could afford and/or had requests for. That forced us to figure out how to do it ourselves, so we decided to pay it forward by offering our services to these same types of customers. As our customers grew, so did our co-packing business. As with all companies that grow, our MOQs have also increased, but we have partnerships with other small co-packers and can pass along this business to them to make sure these small guys are taken care of. Through the process of learning ourselves, we are very experiences and getting the FDA-approved process authority letters, Nutritional Labels, bar codes, FDA-approved labels, artwork, etc., and can provide those same services to our co-packing customers. Even though our MOQs have increased, we are still well below industry standards for company our size.
For the production side, we source all of our own ingredients from the highest quality distributors and farmers. We have contracted local Ohio farmers to grow the majority of our peppers, and we make our own pepper puree from these peppers (the main ingredient for most hot sauces). Because of our high standards for quality, our products and those we make for others are very well received around the world (yes, we do sell wholesale and distribute in other countries). So whether is retail, wholesale, distributor co-packing, all of our customers get the best we can provide!
What matters most to you?
Making sure our customers and employees are always happy and satisfied. If you read reviews about our company, whether it’s on the retail side or production/co-packing, you will see very high ratings. My wife, son, and I are involved in day-to-day operations of everything, and we make sure customers are very well taken care of. If we ship products through our online store and one of them gets damaged, not only do we replace it for free, we always send an extra bottle to make up for the hassle. If our co-packing clients are not satisfied with their product, we will keep working at it until we get it right with no extra charge.
We pay our employees very well. We have a bonus and tip program at our retail store, and our hourly wage at the kitchen is above what most businesses of our type pay. We offer a supportive and relaxed work environment, and because we offer such good products and service, it makes for a great place for our employees to work.
When you have happy customers and employees, you will have a solid and successful business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://flavorandfire.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flavorandfire
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flavorandfirefoods
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/flavor-and-fire-columbus
Image Credits
Madstone USA Inc
