Month in Review: January 2023 Restocked, sunlit shelf at Salt & Vinegar in the Italian Market On the heels of an exciting, frantic, and eventful holiday season, I sidled into January at peace with the likelihood of a quiet winter: after all, many people (myself included) start the year by resting their wallets and taking stock of the abundance from the year’s end. What I didn’t expect, however, was the flurry of online orders, wholesale re-orders, and new vendors that helped Goodlands start the year on a high note. Thank you to everyone who made this happen! Updates below: Philly Foodworks picked us up to add to their ever-expanding, impressive line-up of local and regional producers. PFW provides an online marketplace for locally sourced produce, foods, and packaged goods (-and I’ve been a customer of theirs for many years)! Salt & Vinegar in the Italian Market added a few more Goodlands’ hot sauces to their shelves. S&V opened up back in December, and already has been such a huge boon to the small food business community in Philadelphia, with special attention towards women-, minority- and immigrant-owned businesses. They’re also a great stop for foodie (and food-themed) gifts. We love them! Herman’s Coffee in Pennsport added some new Goodlands hot sauces to their legendary hot sauce shelf, where you can find a gorgeous lineup of sauces including a number of Philly’s own: Pickle Monster Hot Sauce, Faiya, and La Parchita (from Amy’s Pastelillos). Based out of an old auto repair shop, Herman’s produces their own coffee blends and flavor syrups, and offers a specialty food market replete with jams and preserves, artisanal chocolates, Italian imports, condiments, tinned fish, a zero proof shelf, snacks, etc. –and very cool merch. We love how welcoming and supportive they are to newcomers (like Goodlands) in the Philly food world! Batch Production Starting January 1st, we went back into production for the new year with a special batch of Maple Chili Garlic Hot Sauce, Goodlands’ emerging #1 flavor. As always, we used maple sugar from Patterson Farmers, based in northern PA. We bottled another batch of Carrot Habanero Hot Sauce, the spiciest of Goodlands’ hot sauces (and one of my personal faves), sourcing carrots from Lancaster Farm Fresh, and a bright, full-bodied apple cider vinegar from Keepwell Vinegar. Next batches up for production are Serrano Cilantro Lime, Maple Chili Garlic, and some r&d for a new flavor (-but keeping the details under wraps until it’s ready to share; sorry, must be sneaky). Upcoming Events Get Sauced at Jet – A Hot Sauce & Wine Pairing feat. Goodlands Food Co. Tuesday, February 7, 2023 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Jet Wine Bar – 1525 South Street, Philadelphia, PA On February 7th, we’re back at Jet Wine Bar for an indoor, all-inclusive pop-up. Hope you can join us! Wine and salty foods? Classic. Wine and sweet foods? A standby. But wine and spicy foods? Not quite as common, but never fear- despite many shying away from a potentially delicious duo of chili sauce and Chenin Blanc, we’re here to show you how easy (and tasty!) it is to perfectly pair your favorite spicy dishes with your favorite wines. Featuring Goodlands Food Co.’s hot sauces, a woman-owned and operated, West Philly based condiment company using locally sourced ingredients in their unique offerings, this tasting is not one you want to miss! Grab your tickets here for 60/pp, which includes food, drink, tax and gratuity (and as always, don’t forget that our Wine Club members get $10 off ticket price!). Clark Park Farmers Market Saturday, February 18th, 2023 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM | Clark Park, Philadelphia, PA We’re back for our monthly Clark Park Farmers Market spot, with a restock on Classic Spice Flights and all of your favorite hot sauces. Stop by for samples, and grab a hot sauce for you or a friend! Gratitude & Shout-outs Best meal of the month was easily Tabachoy, which recently opened in Bella Vista. Do yourself a favor and book a table ASAP! Special thanks this month to all of our return customers at Clark Park, our online customers, our friends at PFW, Salt & Vinegar, and Herman’s, and friends who re-upped their home supply of hot sauce (you know who you are!). Thanks, also, to fellow vendors who provided great advice and feedback, especially The Pasta Lab, Plant Basting, and Aaji’s. And to Jaci, Rachel, Ming, and Simon for their help making sure this forgetful girl got fed; Appreciate you. Stay spicy, my friends – Anna
Update on January 2022 Production Suffice it to say, I was thrilled and surprised when the stacks of hot sauce bottles in my living room — produced over the better part of Fall 2021 — sold out in Goodlands’ first two weeks open! (Our in-person booth at Go West Craft Fest helped — big ups to Vix Emporium for hosting.) After sending off our inaugural hot sauce orders before the end of December, I took a couple of weeks off to catch my breath and strategize for 2022. So — what’s next? Most importantly, I’ll be back in production this month, as soon as possible. While I’m still working out exactly what I’ll have access to, it looks likely that there will be restocks of at least Orange Habanero, Carrot Habanero, and Serrano Cilantro Lime, as well as a first release of (!!) Jalapeno Dill Pickle. Crossing my fingers to get some cranberries and do another big drop of Spiced Cranberry — a hot sauce that warms me up with all the best winter nostalgia. By March, I hope to share at least one new condiment (not hot!) that I’ve been workshopping over the last several months: a dual purpose sweet/savory super-lemony sauce. You’ll be able to mix this up in any combination, as you would a wedge of fresh lemon — a refreshing twist in a fruit dip, dolloped on a savory dinner, swirled into some creamy pasta, etc. More on this soon. As the rest of the year unfolds, I’ll be exploring ways to scale up production, move to more sustainable shipping and packaging, and partner with growers for the next season. I’m learning as I go, and will be communicating with you how Goodlands is growing and changing along the way. To recap: More hot sauce is only a few weeks away, and much more hot sauce is on the horizon. I’ll share production updates on the Goodlands Food Co. instagram and here on the site. Now and always – I’d love to hear from you with any feedback! Thanks and cheers – AnnaFounder, Goodlands Food Co.
New Release: Fall 2021 Harvest Flights We’re so excited to introduce you to this season’s belle of the ball, our 2021 Harvest Flights – a sampler of our hottest autumnal flavors. This year’s Harvest Flight offers four unique, seasonal flavors: Spiced Cranberry Maple Hot Sauce This unique savory spiced cranberry hot sauce combines tart, assertive cranberries with warm autumnal spices, balanced with a subtle maple sweetness and a medium heat. Use as you would your favorite cranberry sauce: on stuffing, turkey hoagie rolls, or a grain bowl – or go rogue and sneak it into a grilled cheese. (We’re not looking!) Maple Chili Garlic Hot Sauce Made with fiery red fresno chiles, this lacto-fermented hot sauce features a delightfully subtle Vermont maple syrup, and delivers plenty of heat. Add it to your pizza, mix it up for a dipping sauce, or spice up your french fries. There’s no wrong way to ‘hot sauce.’ Carrot Habanero Hot Sauce This carefully crafted hot sauce packs a punch. Fermented for two weeks, this sweet carrot base rounds out the bold heat of the habanero with a little extra funk. Enjoy on scrambled eggs, in a black bean bowl, or on a burger. You’ll feel the heat. Fire Cider Vinegar With an apple cider vinegar and honey base, this seasonal tonic keeps colds at bay, and will bring new life to your salad dressings, marinades, and glazes. Fire cider vinegar offers layers of approachable heat, with horseradish, jalapenos, and birds-eye chili peppers. Delicious and useful, you’ll want to make this last.
Introducing: Goodlands Food Co. My name is Anna, and I’m so excited to introduce you to Goodlands Food Co. – a hot sauce and condiments company based out of West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Early in 2020, I signed up for a community garden plot. Along with zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and honeynut squash, I wound up growing ghost peppers – one of the hottest peppers in the world and an intimidating challenge. They all but glowed in my hand as I picked them, ruby red and devilishly crinkled. I immediately blended them up with some garlic, vinegar, and Jimmy Nardellos for a hot sauce, and became obsessed. Truthfully? I’ve always loved food and cooking, and have been looking for an opportunity to start my own food business for awhile. As a teen, I had my own cake decorating business, and once even cooked for a weeklong service-learning conference in the Grand Canyon. But nothing so far has been as fun or as challenging as launching Goodlands Food Co. Since the first batch of ghost pepper hot sauce, I’ve broadened out to craft hot sauces around serranos, jalapenos, habaneros, and hungarian wax peppers, with hopes of an ever-diversifying palate of chiles. I’ve seen the beginning of popular favorites like our orange habanero hot sauce, and funkier ones like the jalapeno dill pickle hot sauce. I’ve experimented with lacto-fermentation as well as vinegar-based sauces, and am actively testing a number of tangy, creamy, and non-spicy condiments. My dream for Goodlands Food Co. is to use the best of the season to create a rotating offering of seasonal hot sauces, condiments, and toppings to heighten the flavors on your plate. I’m in for the long journey, and I hope you’ll join me.