If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again. Bruce and Stacey Ollis of brucesghostpepperz.com LLC are hoping that the third time will be their charm as they attempt to win a business grant from Chase Bank.
The longtime Wellington residents run an up-and-coming small business, which is being considered again, along with thousands of other applicants, for the opportunity to be awarded a small business Mission Main Street Grant offered by Chase to help local, small businesses like theirs be a successful start-up venture. Brucesghostpepperz.com is the only Palm Beach County-based business in the running.
Brucesghostpepperz.com is a family business that has grown in just a few years from a handful of ghost pepper seeds into a hot local staple. As certified growers and purveyors of artisanal chili pepper products, the company sells ghost pepper plants and seeds, pepper products made with farm-fresh ingredients, ghost pepper hot sauce, pepper jams and jellies, bloody mary mix, spicy rubs, guacamole and dip mixes, powders and other delicious hot and spicy items.
As an added plus for heat-seeking customers, eating capsaicin (the natural chemical that gives chili peppers their heat) is beneficial to the body and provides an extensive list of natural health benefits, ranging from pain relief and anti-inflammatory to heart-health properties.
With each successive year, this local small business continues to thrive, with even more healthy, farm-to-table products on the way. Notably, their latest specialty, Bruce’s Hot ’n’ Sweet Pepper Jelly, has become a local hit. They also offer custom gift-wrapped packages, including baskets and bowls, for holidays, wedding favors and other special occasions.
The products are available at several green markets and other local venues, as well as in an online buy-it-now store at www.brucesghostpepperz.com. And with the possibility of being awarded a Mission Main Street Grant, these local artisans are hoping to take their small mom-and-pop business to the next level.
Voting for the grant competition is underway through Friday, June 19, with each applicant needing at least 250 votes to qualify for the next round of review and judging. To cast your vote now in support of brucesghostpepperz.com, visit www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/b/9217. More information is available at www.brucesghostpepperz.com.
ABOVE: Bruce’s Hot ’n’ Sweet Pepper Jelly.
