When Tony Wilson first took the habanero pepper off the shelf at his local grocery store, he didn’t think much of it. The sauce that came out of that pepper, though, sparked a new chapter in his life and was the start of a unique pandemic success story.

“I told my wife - hey, I’m going to make some garlic-habenero hot sauce tonight,” Wilson said. “She said ‘what are you doing?’, and I said ‘I don’t know’.”

The carne asada tacos the pair made that night though changed their lives forever. Topped with the now signature garlic-habenero sauce, plus a mango-habenero sauce for his wife, Tony realized he’d struck liquid gold.

“I posted it to Instagram the next day and then all sorts of people on my Instagram and Facebook were like going crazy about it and asking to buy it,” Wilson said.

Wilson says he initially gave away bottles to friends, but then realized the potential that was simmering in front of him. His wife designed the Papa Tony’s logo, and they began marketing the company on Amazon, leading to 300 sales in the first month. Now, they attend markets regularly and are on the shelves in every PCC store.

After the initial success, the couple moved from Louisiana to Washington State. Now based in West Seattle, the hot sauce company works to bring their unique flavors to the community through a family-oriented approach. Tony and his mom work together in the kitchen, while his wife assists when she can take time off from her day job. Their three year old daughter has even gotten in on the action.

“She’s a little market baby. Every time she comes, all the vendors just give her tons and tons of stuff. You know, she has her things she likes at each market,” Wilson said. “I always wanted her to see that she has options in life, that you can do the things you believe in. Her seeing me do this business from the ground up, I think it's something that even at a young age it's really catching on.”

The journey, though, was also difficult. Tony knows that success requires hard work, and he’s transparent about the process it took to get where he is. He shares openly about the problems he was faced with when working a teaching job and starting the company, and knows that his experiences can help the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“I volunteer with these mental health support groups for Black men. The fellas in there like they are born to start their own businesses and they really pick my brain and they really give me my kudos a lot," Wilson said. “They see how I've been able to do this with integrity and to not lie and show exactly how I’ve built this.”

Tony’s dedication to his craft and his family continue to inspire those he comes in contact with, all while he brings his signature flavors to the communty.

You can learn more about Papa Tony’s Hot Sauce here