What started as a hobby in a Glasgow kitchen has grown into an independent hot sauce brand with distinctive artwork, a growing customer base and, most recently, a Great Taste award.
Dr Ged’s Hot Sauce was founded by Scott, who began experimenting with sauces back in 2018. After years of developing recipes, sharing them with friends and family and gradually creating something that looked increasingly like a finished product, he officially launched the business in June 2024.
Today, Dr Ged’s produces small-batch artisan hot sauces and spice rubs, alongside merchandise and gift sets, all with a brand identity influenced by punk, horror, pop culture and Scott’s own sense of humour.
Your story starts in a Glasgow kitchen in 2018, with years of testing before officially launching in June 2024. What made you decide it was finally time to turn the experiments into a real business?
The idea of turning Dr Ged’s into a business developed gradually.
“I started making sauces as a hobby, a hobby that friends and family enjoyed,” Scott explains.
That encouragement led him to begin researching bottles and packaging. A friend with a graphics company helped design and print labels, and suddenly the homemade sauces started looking like something that could genuinely sit on a shop shelf.
There were still practical hurdles to overcome, including the requirements involved in registering a food business and working with Environmental Health, but the bigger obstacle was simply deciding to start.
While Scott continued experimenting, he watched other independent sauce makers launch and grow through social media.
“I was watching other sauce makers on Instagram, some of whom started after me, begin their business and scale up while I was being left behind,” he says. “I finally said, ‘What am I waiting for?’”
It is an experience that has shaped his attitude towards entrepreneurship.
“You can’t be afraid of failure. Every mistake and wrong turn you make is all progression and a learning opportunity.”
One saying in particular has stuck with him: “The best time to plant a tree is ten years ago. The second best time is now.”
Building a brand people remember
Hot sauce is hardly an empty ecommerce category. From supermarket names to hundreds of independent makers, customers have an enormous number of options.
For Dr Ged’s, standing out starts with branding.
“There are a lot of big and small companies out there making hot sauce, and I try to always champion the independents, buying, trying and sharing their wares,” Scott says.
Rather than trying to create a completely uniform product range, he has deliberately embraced something more eclectic.
He commissions independent artists to develop labels, characters, logos and T-shirt designs, working with different creatives to give each product its own personality while still making the overall Dr Ged’s identity recognisable.
The approach is particularly noticeable in product names such as In The Buff and Rowdy Lemonade.
“The pun names are my favourite part,” Scott admits. “Those are sometimes more important to me than the recipes themselves.”
Once a sauce is getting close to release, he selects an independent artist to create its label.
“Some brands have uniform design across their range and while this looks incredible on a shop shelf, the chaos of my products embodies my personality, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
That personality has become an important part of differentiating Dr Ged’s from other craft food businesses. Customers are not simply buying heat in a bottle; they are buying into a recognisable world built around humour, artwork and alternative culture.
Taking an online brand offline
Although individual bottles of hot sauce are the strongest sellers through the Dr Ged’s online shop, physical events have played a huge role in building the brand.
Scott regularly attends markets and conventions, where customers can see the products, ask questions and, crucially, taste them.
“Those stalls are where our brand comes to life,” he says. “We get to interact with the customer, answer their questions, tell our story and most importantly let the customer taste the products before they buy.”
Those conversations do not necessarily end when the market closes. Visitors are given information about the website and social media accounts, helping turn an in-person interaction into a longer-term relationship.
The difference between online and offline shopping can also be seen across the wider product range.
Sauces tend to perform particularly well online, while merchandise benefits from being displayed physically.
“Merch tends to sell better at market stalls when people can see the badass T-shirts in person,” Scott says.
The less glamorous side of ecommerce is fulfilment. Asked about the biggest challenge of selling sauce online, Scott has a straightforward answer: getting to the Post Office on time.
There have also been occasions when orders have needed to be resent after parcels were damaged in transit.
Markets, social media and word of mouth
Dr Ged’s currently attracts customers through a mixture of local markets and social media, with collaborations helping the business reach new audiences.
Working with other brands and independent artists has introduced the products to people who may not otherwise have encountered them.
Creator content has also proved useful, although Scott is selective about the people he works with.
“I’ve only approached content creators I like or believe in, not just for their follower count,” he says.
Some of those relationships have since developed into genuine friendships.
Paid social advertising has generated positive results too, while digital billboards have provided both visibility and a milestone for the brand.
“If for nothing else, they make the brand look super professional and make me feel proud to see my work up on a big screen in my city.”
Yet some of the most valuable marketing cannot easily be bought.
Repeat customers and recommendations continue to play an important role in the company’s growth.
“I love hearing a customer say they came to the market just for us because they have run out of their last bottle,” Scott says.
Finding the right shelves
The next step is getting Dr Ged’s into more physical locations.
Scott believes the products can work across a broad range of retailers, from farmers’ markets to independent shops, but the brand naturally lends itself to businesses with a little personality.
“My heart lies in punk, horror and pop culture, so trendy bars and restaurants or quirky independent delis would be a great fit for Dr Ged’s products.”
It is another example of how closely the brand’s commercial strategy is tied to its identity. Rather than stripping away the personality to appeal to everyone, Dr Ged’s is leaning further into the things that make it distinctive.
Advice for aspiring food founders
For anyone currently experimenting with a recipe at home and wondering whether it could become a business, Scott’s advice is to make the leap — but to get the foundations right first.
“If you are happy with your recipe and proud of what you have made, then take the leap,” he says.
That means registering the business correctly, contacting the relevant local Environmental Health team and dealing with the necessary food regulations before beginning to sell.
“Deal with all the red tape first. After that, get out there and get your product onto people’s plates.”
Scott knows more than most how easy it is to keep waiting for the perfect time.
“I dragged my heels for over six years before I started the business. I can only imagine how much further ahead I’d be if I didn’t hesitate.”
What comes next for Dr Ged’s?
Growth is firmly on the agenda.
Scott wants to secure more stockists in shops and restaurants, attend as many markets around the country as possible and release a major collaboration sauce, which is already in development.
There is also an award-winning recipe to revisit.
Dr Ged’s recently received a One Star Great Taste award for Holy Smokes, and Scott is considering refining the sauce in an attempt to go even further next time.
“I may try and revise and improve that recipe to get a Three Star award next year.”
For a business that spent years waiting in a Glasgow kitchen before officially launching, the direction now appears very different.
You can learn more about Dr. Ged’s Hot Sauce here:
