Persistence Pays Off For Dade City Hot Sauce Creators With Help From Pasco SMARTstart

DADE CITY, FL — It was already a hit at eateries in Dade City, Zephyrhills and Lutz, but now word of Rhino Smash Sauce Co.'s spicy hot concoctions is spreading throughout Tampa Bay.

At the annual I Like It Hot Festival in Largo Sept. 11-12, Rhino Smash walked away to two coveted awards: the Vendor Hot Concoction Award for its Apache's Curse Sauce and the Favorite Vendor Award, both people's choice awards.

Matthew Zambrana and Jason Reed were on the hunt for "really good wings" when they came up with the idea of creating their hot sauce in 2008.

"We tried so many, and it was the same thing everywhere we went — generic hot sauce, butter and maybe some chili flakes or garlic thrown in," Zambrana said. "The two of us decided to start trying to make our own."

After some trial and error, they created Sweet Pepper Medium sauce. Their Phoenix and Lime Cilantro sauces soon followed.

"Our friends and family loved the sauce and, since we both enjoyed cooking, we thought, 'Hey why not open up a restaurant?'" said Reed.

That was easier said than done. With competition from big chain restaurants like Beef O' Brady's and Hooters, they realized a wing restaurant wasn't financially viable.

"The sauce recipes were shelved and just made on occasion for friends and family," Reed said.

Years later, the two men revived their dream when a friend suggested they produce their sauce for his restaurant.

"We jumped at the chance," Zambrana said. "Turns out there was a lot more that went into making and selling sauces than we realized."

The two men sought the advice of the Pasco County Economic Development Council SMARTstart Pasco Incubator Network.

Just as the name implies, business incubators nourish and nurture newborn businesses when they are most vulnerable, helping them survive and grow, according to Daniel Mitchell, SMARTstart program director.

The program provides hands-on management assistance, access to funding and connects startups to business resources and technical support services that they might not have access to on their own.

Additionally, the Pasco program offers fledgling businesses access to shared offices and equipment until they're financially viable enough to strike out on their own — generally within two or three years.

The Pasco EDC's SMARTstart three mixed-use entrepreneur centers are located at the East Pasco Entrepreneur Center, 15029 14th St., Dade City; West Pasco Entrepreneur Center, 4532 U.S 19, New Port Richey; and the newly opened SMARTstart @ The Grove, 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel.

The program recruits mentors, coaches and industry experts to provide advice and help struggling new businesses create business strategies.

The entrepreneur centers aid the process by offering a co-working space with Wi-Fi, mailboxes, printers, copiers, scanners, meeting space, classrooms, private offices, a commercial kitchen and a digital media studio.

Mitchell said it not only saves struggling businesses the cost of supporting their own offices but having other like-minded people starting businesses around them serves as a support system.

With the incubator's help, Zambrana, his wife, Jillian, and Reed said they were able to wade through the red tape of getting a business up and running. Eventually, Rhino Smash Sauce Co. became a reality.

"We kept at it and refused to quit," Zambrana said. "Here we are today making sauces until our hearts are content and hopefully your taste buds will be, too."

Rhino Smash eight types of hot sauces are available to order online.

They are also available at:

• Mainstreet Billiards, 38529 5th Ave., Zephyrhills.
• Axe of Kindness, 38444 5th Ave., Zephyrhills.
• Commandough's Pizza, 5841 Gall Blvd., Zephyrhills.
• Mulligan's Tavern, 5420 Gall Blvd., Zephyrhills.
• Black Sheep American Pub, 18450 U.S. 41, Lutz.
• Burns Family Produce & Deli, 10228 State Rd 52, Hudson.