Frances and Ramon Hinds chose a Yoruba word, orisirisi, which translated means “variety,” for their pepper sauce business, because of the expansive variety of habaneros (from a wide stretch of numbers on the Scoville hotness scale) and fruits they use. Coming from Trinidad and Tobago, Ramon remembers that his grandmother traced her heritage back to the Yoruba Nigerians. Frances comes from Puerto Rico—her father still runs a vegetable farm there.

One day Ramon’s craving for the foods of the islands prompted him to begin “cooking like a madman” to develop the taste and texture of the pepper sauces and chow [quick pickles] he remembered. Both chef/owners trace their food preferences to their heritage and to family traditions and recipes. “How many people eat their own product every single day?” Frances asks, with a grin. “We take it everywhere with us.”

They currently market seven variations of Orisirisi Spice of Life pepper sauces, including black cherry, mango, peach, rainbow blend, papaya, pineapple and Dominican habanero. The latter two are customer favorites for dips, marinades, on pizza, in guacamole and as a condiment. As Ramon has been told: “Your sauce is like magic—it makes everything good!”

Available online at OrisirisiSpiceOfLife.com and at markets, including Hope & Main Downtown Makers Marketplace, Clements’ Marketplace and Dave’s Fresh Marketplace locations.