Torchbearer

The Beginning of Something Awesome
Owner Vid Lynch’s obsession with hot food began in high school at a “good-bye” party for a friend who was moving away. They were eating BBQ chicken and the friend started pouring some crazy extract sauce all over his food. Vid joined in and hasn’t stopped melting his insides since.

Years later, Vid and his friend Ben (who would later become his partner in Torchbearer), each had a crop of habanero peppers they had no idea what to do with. On the fateful day of September 21, 2004, they took all those peppers and bottled them with some carrots, mandarin oranges, and onions to preserve them. Turns out that was pure magic, because that resulted in creating the first sauce for the company.

Family and friends couldn’t get enough, and the guys were convinced it might be time to try to sell their concoction. They even knew what to call themselves, as Vid had a photography and video production company named “Torchbearer.” Definitely too perfect to not use.