Meet Your Saucemaker: Matt Mini of Funky's Hot Sauce Factory

For the second installment of Meet Your Saucemaker, our series where we ask the people behind the sauces we carry a few questions, we meet Matt Mini of Funky's Hot Sauce Factory. He told us where the "Funky" comes from, how many batches Dark Star took, and why one of his sauces belongs on cheesecake.

How did you get into making hot sauce?

I started out growing chilies in the early 2000's at our previous home in Santa Rosa, CA and around 2006 I was experimenting with making beer and fermenting various veggies and fruits and that led to making sauce.

Was there a moment where it went from hobby to "I'm doing this"?

Yeah, I nearly launched in Santa Rosa around 2012 but then I landed a "career" job plus my kids were pretty little and I didn't want to take the risk then. After moving to Bellingham, WA and working from 2015-2018, I was laid off and that was the real moment as I was now sick of the "career" in construction project management!

Where does the name of your company come from?

I was nicknamed "Funky" by my old bandmates for the way I play the guitar. I always called the sauces Funky's hot sauce, even when it was just a hobby so it stuck.

What did you do before this?

I have a master's degree in sustainable design and I wanted to be an architect but I just ended up doing PM work for design/build companies.

What is the hardest sauce you have ever tried to get right, and how many batches did it take?

It took me 4-6 batches to nail Dark Star!

Matt with Terra Luna's Screaming Mimi award from the 2023 NYC Hot Sauce Expo.

What is your favorite pairing for one of your sauces, something you would actually make at home this week?

Right now, I'm super into Ogre Battle on my breakfast and it's typically an omlette with whatever leftover veggies I have in the fridge.

Give us one unexpected use for your sauce, the one that makes people raise an eyebrow until they try it.

Liquid Sunshine Delirium on a slice of plain cheesecake!

What do you get up to when you are not making sauce?

I love to play music and listen to music...and I also really dig building with Legos

Is there a food you refuse to put hot sauce on?

Perhaps cold cereal

What music is playing in the kitchen while you cook?

It could be some hardcore jazz like Thelonius Monk, Soundgarden or Galactic!

Favorite pepper?

Red Savina habanero