Shelby Shopper Shelby NC
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1252578
Thursday, May 28-June 3, 2020 www.shelbyinfo.com 704/484-1047 - shelby shopper & info - Page 15 NO MORE ROBERT H. LUTZ Attorney At Law 704-600-6003 • 704-600-6004 www.rlutzlaw.com WE CAN HELP STOP FORECLOSURES! WE CAN HELP STOP FORECLOSURES! OVERWHELMING CREDIT CARD DEBT! OVERWHELMING CREDIT CARD DEBT! REPOSSESSIONS! REPOSSESSIONS! ©CommunityFirstMedia WE ARE A DEBT RELIEF AGENCY. WE ARE A DEBT RELIEF AGENCY. We help people fi le for bankruptcy relief We help people fi le for bankruptcy relief under the bankruptcy code. under the bankruptcy code. 310-8 E. Graham Street • Shelby, NC NO UPFRONT ATTORNEY NO UPFRONT ATTORNEY FEES FOR FILING CHAPTER 13 FEES FOR FILING CHAPTER 13 Locally originated product – Elijah's Xtreme Gourmet Sauces – grows to 1,100-plus grocery locations by MICHAEL E. POWELL Editor michael@cfmedia.info Gastonia residents Bret Morey and his son Elijah knew they had something special when they started winning national awards for their Elijah's Xtreme gourmet hot sauces and spicy marinade & barbecue sauces, back in the day when they first created the brand. Now, with growth being what it is, those flavorful sauces are now available at Southeastern Grocers (BI-LO, Winn-Dixie, Har- vey's and Fresco Y' Mas) in the South East and other national retailers, said Bret Morey. Recounting the begin- nings of their NC-grown business, Morey said, "(My son) Elijah was just six years old when he came up to me in the garden asking what he could do to be the youngest person to eat the hottest pepper. It was that first bite that sent him run- ning for water and began his passion for hot peppers and hot sauces." So, after three years of working on their own hot sauce recipe, the Morey's created Elijah's Xtreme Ghost Pepper sauce to be hotter and thicker with more flavor than many of the typical store-bought hot sauces. Starting in the local Gastonia and Charlotte markets, in June of 2014, the father and son team grew their business from the ground up (literally), with one hot sauce. Eli- jah's Xtreme Ghost Pepper Sauce, which has earned nine awards for great flavor and well balance of heat. Later, they added their Reaper Sauce, which has been honored with 15 awards (several Na- tional Awards, two Scovie Awards, three Screaming MiMi's, and 1st place 2019 Best North Carolina hottest hot sauce, North Carolina Hot Sauce contest, Oxford, NC, for its unique sweet, savory flavor and heat). The Morey's carefully handcraft each recipe to fit the growing market of spicy lovers. "Lots of hard work and long hours are paying off with 55 awards for our products, growing sales on-line and placement in major retail chains like Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Tijuana Flats, Ingles Mar- kets, Camping World and the announcement of the addition of Elijah's Xtreme Gourmet Hot sauces in 535 Southeastern Grocery stores adds to a fast grow- ing list, now available in over 1,100 retail locations in 49 states," said Bret. Elijah Morey, co-founder and son, added, "We are very thankful for the grow- ing support from custom- ers and confidence for Elijah's Xtreme gourmet hot sauces, marinades and barbecues sauces in retail as we continue to grow our brand regionally and na- tionwide." New milder product added The newest product in the Morey's sauce kingdom is what he calls, "our new- est hot sauce." Bret said it's a mild version to "compete with Franks, Texas Pete and Cholula. It's named 'Eli- jah's Original' Roast Pep- per Hot Sauce. "The label is different to give it fresh appeal and to separate it from our more 'gourmet' Xtreme hot sauces. "We finished that recipe in the late summer when we flew to Costa Rica and visited several hot pep- per farms in the beautiful mountains of CR, which is known for tropical climate and volcanic soil which produces flavorful hot pep- pers." As for COVID-19 affect- ing sales, Morey said, "At first, we heard the launch of our hot sauces into Southeastern Grocers' 535 retail stores, would be on hold. That was set for an April rollout. What ended up happening was they ran out of other items, and our hot sauces were placed in their stores. "In the meantime, we made a full-on effort to in- crease our ad spending and driving more traffic to our website. We felt if we could at least sustain our- selves through the storm, we'll be fine." What happened was nothing short of a miracle, he said. "Our sales have in- creased! Website sales have grown in the last two and half months by over 150 percent and our Ama- zon Prime sales has been growing to the point of us packing hundreds of items every couple of days to keep inventory in-stock. We're seeing sales almost like it was Christmas. We feel also, folks are home cooking much more than before, which has been awesome to see the feed- back after they try our sauces. And we're on track to have our May web sales double what we did in April. We are very blessed!" In addition to eight retail chain stores, Morey noted, "We are in hundreds of Mom and Pop stores like String Bean in Belmont, Black Hawk hardware in Charlotte, all of the Rhino Markets, Butchers Market, Charlotte Farmers Market and even the Asheville Air- port." Morey noted not all stores carry all their prod- ucts, so check with the re- tailer to be sure. They're still working, he said, out of a self-described "overcrowded garage" in Gastonia, as well as having climate-controlled storage units in Belmont and Hen- derson. As for any future plans for the company, Bret said, "Not right now," adding they have another two recipes "ready when the time is right." Said Bret, "We have just added the one new mild sauce and want to get that Father, son gourmet sauces "red hot" in retail growth Father and son entrepreneurs Bret and Elijah Morey announce their sauces are now in many Southeastern Grocers establishments. (photos provided) Bret Morey and his son Elijah with Marcus Lemonis, chairman and CEO of Camping World. SEE "GROWTH" PG. 16