How did we become The Mayhem Brothers?
The Plight of the Spanish Minorcans in
Florida circa 1700's
The history of Mayhem Datil Pepper Hot Sauce is rooted in the hard scrabble history of the Minorcan people themselves. In 1768, the Minorcans arrived in Florida to work as indentured servants for Dr. Andrew Turnbull. When they got to Florida, they found that Turnbull and his brutal overseers treated them more like slaves, imprisoning and beating workers who dared to ask to be released when their period of indenture had expired. Eventually, in 1777, a few of the colonists made their way to St. Augustine to petition the Governor to have their contracts with Turnbull cancelled. The Governor agreed, and during the months of May and June most of the Minorcans migrated to
St. Augustine.
Florida circa 1700's
The history of Mayhem Datil Pepper Hot Sauce is rooted in the hard scrabble history of the Minorcan people themselves. In 1768, the Minorcans arrived in Florida to work as indentured servants for Dr. Andrew Turnbull. When they got to Florida, they found that Turnbull and his brutal overseers treated them more like slaves, imprisoning and beating workers who dared to ask to be released when their period of indenture had expired. Eventually, in 1777, a few of the colonists made their way to St. Augustine to petition the Governor to have their contracts with Turnbull cancelled. The Governor agreed, and during the months of May and June most of the Minorcans migrated to
St. Augustine.
Mayhem Original
"The Sauce"
Our Grandmother, MeMa, created her sauce, "MeMa's Hot Stuff", based on traditions rooted in our family’s Minorcan culture and heritage. MeMa was the master, she added the magic, and the love. Every summer would find us in her kitchen watching her make dishes like “perlow”, always served with “MeMa’s Hot Stuff”. Family get togethers at Mema's could be anything from making "perlow" to sifting donacks at the beach for coquina soup and picking datil peppers to make her sauce. Cooking hot sauce was a family event, and everybody contributed. In a word, “MeMa’s Hot Stuff” was the perfect sauce to enhance that unique flavor. Based on that recipe created by our MeMa, The Mayhem Brothers perfected MeMa's Hot Stuff, memorializing and honoring our Minorcan ancestors. The Mayhem is the perfect complement to any dish. In a word, “MeMa’s Hot Stuff” was the perfect sauce to enhance that unique flavor.
"The Sauce"
Our Grandmother, MeMa, created her sauce, "MeMa's Hot Stuff", based on traditions rooted in our family’s Minorcan culture and heritage. MeMa was the master, she added the magic, and the love. Every summer would find us in her kitchen watching her make dishes like “perlow”, always served with “MeMa’s Hot Stuff”. Family get togethers at Mema's could be anything from making "perlow" to sifting donacks at the beach for coquina soup and picking datil peppers to make her sauce. Cooking hot sauce was a family event, and everybody contributed. In a word, “MeMa’s Hot Stuff” was the perfect sauce to enhance that unique flavor. Based on that recipe created by our MeMa, The Mayhem Brothers perfected MeMa's Hot Stuff, memorializing and honoring our Minorcan ancestors. The Mayhem is the perfect complement to any dish. In a word, “MeMa’s Hot Stuff” was the perfect sauce to enhance that unique flavor.
Mayhem Brothers Gourmet Foods
"The Company"
We decided that more people needed the chance to sample the magical combination of flavors that made MeMa’s hot sauce so amazing. Naturally, there was a lot of experimentation. Hampton cooked many test batches until he believed he had come close. Hampton cooked a final fateful batch with his brother Scott, and the die was cast. Scott gave bottles of this amazing product to many friends and co-workers and the response was extremely enthusiastic. One of those lucky friends was his best friend and brother from another mother, Troy.
He was an instant believer, and thought the brothers should offer the sauce to the public. The main problem was that datil peppers are a finicky little pod, and notoriously difficult to grow in large numbers. Troy agreed to try to grow some peppers at his home. That first year, 18 little seedlings went into the ground, and produced enough datils to increase production for more friends and family. That first batch was every bit as well received as those earlier batches, and we knew we had created something special.
"The Company"
We decided that more people needed the chance to sample the magical combination of flavors that made MeMa’s hot sauce so amazing. Naturally, there was a lot of experimentation. Hampton cooked many test batches until he believed he had come close. Hampton cooked a final fateful batch with his brother Scott, and the die was cast. Scott gave bottles of this amazing product to many friends and co-workers and the response was extremely enthusiastic. One of those lucky friends was his best friend and brother from another mother, Troy.
He was an instant believer, and thought the brothers should offer the sauce to the public. The main problem was that datil peppers are a finicky little pod, and notoriously difficult to grow in large numbers. Troy agreed to try to grow some peppers at his home. That first year, 18 little seedlings went into the ground, and produced enough datils to increase production for more friends and family. That first batch was every bit as well received as those earlier batches, and we knew we had created something special.
In 2014, we decided to offer The Mayhem to a much broader audience. We set up 3 day booths at both the Daytona and Orlando Home and Garden Shows. The Sauce was a huge hit, and the positive feedback we received gave us the confidence to take the “best hot sauce in the world” to The Cabbage Patch for Bike Week. After ten days, we were nearly out of sauce, and new fans from around the country were stuffing their saddlebags with The Mayhem.
The positive feedback from previous years led us to the decision in 2015 to increase production to offer The Mayhem on a large scale. We purchased land in Pomona Park, Florida and built a hoop house so that we could grow enough peppers to meet the demand. We are currently housing two hundred fifty plants, with plans to increase that number up to as many as two thousand plants in the near future.
The positive feedback from previous years led us to the decision in 2015 to increase production to offer The Mayhem on a large scale. We purchased land in Pomona Park, Florida and built a hoop house so that we could grow enough peppers to meet the demand. We are currently housing two hundred fifty plants, with plans to increase that number up to as many as two thousand plants in the near future.
