Trulaske entrepreneur turns plethora of peppers into business with a bite

Three years ago, Killion Hardesty and buddy Gage Ryan found themselves with a plethora of peppers on their hands — so they cooked up a plan that is blazing a new path within the Columbia condiment crowd. Together the duo founded Kaged Heat, a collection of small-batch hot sauces featuring their own locally grown peppers.

“We grew a bunch of peppers without a plan,” Hardesty says bluntly. “Now, we are growing our own peppers with a specific plan to make hot sauce with unique ingredients.”

And by “unique ingredients” he means peppers like the Komodo Dragon, a prominent flavor profile that’s popping up in his latest creation, as well as scotch bonnets, 7-pot, Bahamian goat peppers, habaneros and other peppers that tend to grow in the Caribbean. These homegrown peppers provide the heat for sauces like Smashed Peach, Roasted Poblano and Garlic Ghost.

“We are growing between 15 and 20 different pepper varieties this summer,” Hardesty says. “We are still trying to figure out which peppers grow best in our climate and what peppers work well for hot sauce and other ingredient pairings.”

Unleashing Kaged Heat at the farmers market

As business partners, Hardesty and Ryan are spicing up the local cuisine scene, with Ryan acting as the team’s horticulturist, and Hardesty mixing it up in the kitchen. Heat seekers can find their collabs online, at the Root Cellar and at Clover’s Market, but they’re really spicing things up at the Columbia Farmers Market, where they can connect with other area producers and source local ingredients like onions, garlic and sweet peppers.

“We love selling at the farmers market,” Hardesty says. “It’s a great way to be a part of the community and it’s a great way to meet new people. The market is definitely a special place and a lot of care has gone into making it what it is. I don’t know if we would be as successful as we are without it.”

Selling at the farmers market requires navigating some red tape, Hardesty advises, so the venue is best for local entrepreneurs who are truly committed to their business. For those who are persistent in pursuing the approval process, the payoff is a venue that brings together a diverse customer base from across the region. It also offers a unique opportunity to learn from other local businesses.

“There are some ‘old-timers’ who have been at the market since it was just a gravel lot in the middle of a field. Now, it has a covered pavilion, with fans for the summer and walls and heaters for the winter,” Hardesty says. “There are multiple generations of farmers, bakers and craftsman that set up shop every Saturday and the wealth of knowledge there is invaluable.”

Growing the next generation of entrepreneurs

When he’s not nurturing his budding business in a plot at the City of Columbia’s Fairview Community Gardens, Hardesty is helping young entrepreneurs grow in the University of Missouri’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business. As an academic advisor, Hardesty helps guide and inspire Trulaske students. He anticipates that the college’s innovative new CPG Career Pathway will ignite an increased interest in consumer goods. In the future, he'd like to give interested students a behind-the-scenes look at Kaged Heat and his experiences with launching a new business, which he hopes will help them as they build their own enterprises.

Trulaske’s programs turned up the heat on Hardesty’s business strategy. Attending workshops hosted by the Trulaske College of Business helped him make better use of technology, says Hardesty, who leveraged AI to develop his business plan, elevator pitch and loan presentation. But it was collaborating with his Trulaske colleagues that truly gave him an edge.

“The people working in this college are smart and passionate about what they do,” Hardesty notes. “Having conversations with my coworkers has helped me formulate ideas and has helped connect me to resources in the greater Columbia community.”

What’s next for this prolific pepper potentate? Hardesty says he’d like to see the pepper sauce pop up in local restaurants and grocery stores, but scaling up, he says, would require specialized equipment, more peppers, “and a lot more hot sauce.” Expanding the flavor selection is on the table, as well.

“For me, the point of growing so many different varieties of peppers is to have a bunch of different flavors of hot sauce,” Hardesty points out. “Who doesn’t love an overwhelming number of options to choose from?”

Patience, patience, patience

Mizzou’s Trulaske College of Business prides itself on fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, and Hardesty’s spicy dynasty is certainly proof in a bottle. For other aspiring entrepreneurs, Hardesty has two words of advice: Be patient. With the paperwork. With the process. With yourself.

“There were plenty of times where I got impatient with how slow things were moving,” he says, “but you just have to be patient and just keep swimming.”

Mizzou’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business prepares students for success as global citizens, business leaders, scholars, innovators and entrepreneurs by providing access to transformative technologies, offering experience-centered learning opportunities and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset.