RICHMOND, Va. β A young entrepreneur in South Boston, Virginia, is turning up the heat with the launch of his third homemade hot sauce called "Blowtorch."
Frankie Martinez, just 12 years old, has already been in business for several years with his company Frankie's Spicy Farm.
"It's definitely one of the spiciest things I've had," Martinez told WDBJ about his newest hot sauce flavor.
Blowtorch is made with ghost peppers and Carolina Reapers, marking the third addition to his hot sauce lineup. His previous flavors, Smooth Heat and No AC - It's Hot, are on the milder side.
"People said they wanted more spicy. Because the whole point of my business is that it's made by a kid for kids or the non-spicy lovers," Martinez said. "So people started saying like, 'Hey, you should make something more spicier for people that do like heat."
From starting off selling his homemade hot sauce at the local farmer's market at 8 years old to now having it commercially bottled at 12, Martinez's hot sauce business has grown with him. He now sells around 20 bottles per month and has won multiple awards and contests for his hot sauce brand.
However, his success didn't come without facing challenges a few years ago.
"The Department of Agriculture, they told us you shouldn't be selling your hot sauce because it needs to be FDA-approved," Martinez said. "So I was kind of like mad and sad at the same time because I didn't know what to do."
But he didn't let that setback stop him. He kept going and raised enough money on his own through fundraising and selling merchandise to have his hot sauce commercially bottled.
"It is kind of hard going to school, doing homework and also balancing a business. But I'm able to do it with the help of my parents and everyone in the spicy community," Martinez said.
While it wouldn't be possible without the support of his parents, Martinez's father says it's his dedication that keeps the business thriving.
"He's very, very headstrong," Francisco Martinez, Frankie's father, said. "When he sees a goal, he goes after it, even though he may stumble a couple of times, but he'll pick himself back up and keep going."
The young entrepreneur had this advice for aspiring business owners.
"If you want to start your own business, you got to make sure you're dedicated and you want to keep going," Martinez said. "And even when there's hard times, not to stop and keep pushing."
The business began for Martinez as a 4-H project at age 8. The boy says all his profit goes back into his business and that his next goal is to sell his hot sauces in area grocery stores.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
π²: CONNECT WITH US
Blue Sky | Facebook | Instagram | X | Threads | TikTok | YouTube
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
