FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 9, 2020 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 29
buzz
Queens entrepreneur blends spice and fl avor with locally
sourced ingredients to perfect variety of hot sauces
BY JOSE CARDOSO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Th e love Timothy Fraczak has
for spicy foods takes him back
to his childhood, but he never
expected to start a business from
it.
“I’ve liked spicy foods ever
since I was a kid,” said Fraczak.
Fraczak is an entrepreneur and
independent producer of a variety
of hot sauces with locally
sourced ingredients. He arrived
in New York City in 2008. By
2015, he established his company
Pepplish Provisions, a small
business based in Queens, and
he started production in 2016.
Fraczak experimented with hot
sauces that are not only spicy but
packed with fl avor. He grew his
ingredients at the beginning and
now he produces the sauces in a
kitchen inside Th e Entrepreneur
Space in Long Island City.
Before off ering his product to
the public, he made batches for
him and his friends.
His wife suggested selling
the sauces and before long, the
business was born. However, he
didn’t know where to begin.
“I didn’t really know what to
do with the company at fi rst,”
he said. “I knew I just wanted to
make hot sauces. Th at was something
I was passionate about.”
Fraczak said that there was
no motivation at the beginning,
but aft er several discussions
with friends and people
from the community, he found
his purpose. He wanted to create
a social and environmental
impact with his company to better
the community. For example,
his bottles are eco-friendly
to minimize the use of plastic.
Additionally, he uses paperbased
cushioning.
Th e company embodies the
sentiment of enjoying food and
being able to support the community.
An instructor at John
Bowne High School told him
about an agriculture program at
the school where he was able to
buy peppers.
“I went there expecting no
more than 15 or 20 pounds of
peppers,” he said.
Fraczak was blown away when
he saw 120 pounds of green
habaneros ready for him, peppers
he previously had problems
obtaining.
“How big of a garden do they
have,” he quipped.
But things weren’t easy, as
Fraczak experienced struggles
when making his sauces.
“Creating something in a small
batch at home is very diff erent
from creating something in a
50-gallon pot,” he said. “It takes
a lot longer to heat up.”
Th e ingredients also play a
role, Fraczak noted. Th ere have
been instances when he was
forced to start over from scratch
because of one ingredient.
But he persevered and has seen
quite a bit of success, as Pepplish
Provisions has received accolades
across the county. Last year,
his pineapple-lemongrass-ginger
and blueberry-basil-shallot
sauces won the International
Flavor Awards held in Madison,
Wisconsin.
But he’s not letting that get to
his head.
“Th e success of my business
is not a refl ection of who I am
as an individual,” he said. “Jobs
and businesses come and go and
that’s the nature of those things.
I am not my business and my
business is not me.”
Fraczak isn’t afraid of failing.
He said that it’s OK if his business
doesn’t go as expected or
someone doesn’t like his products.
He knows that criticism
will come and it’s better to accept
it. Still, he acknowledged that
being a business owner brings an
emotional toll. When things are
going great it’s a good feeling, he
said, but when the business takes
a hit, it can be diffi cult to share
with people.
Fraczak said he’ll sometimes
begin to question himself.
“Do I need to end this business?
Do I need to shut it down?”
he said. “A lot of anxiety sets in.”
Fraczak has been feeling plenty
of anxiety during the COVID-19
pandemic, but said business has
been “pretty good.”
“Because of the pandemic,
a lot more people are buying
online” as an alternative to going
out in person.
Th ose interested can purchase
Fraczak’s hot sauces on his website
and Amazon.
Courtesy of John Bowne High School
Photos courtesy of Pepplish Provisions
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