Published On: September 7th, 2019Categories: Uncategorized


Boulder’s David Delcourt is passionate about building products and teams to help make the world a better place. Before launching his latest venture Seed Ranch Flavor Co. more than 2½ years ago with a partner, Delcourt successfully developed and helped run multiple businesses related to sustainable energy.

He believes small actions can make a big difference. That was the mantra that guided his first business, MakeMeSustainable Inc., which provided businesses with tools and information for energy efficiency and to reduce their carbon footprint. He sold the company to New Jersey-based Noveda Technologies in 2011.

The Wesleyan University graduate came to Boulder in 2015 from Boston, and by 2016 was “toying with peppers” growing on his friend’s porch.

“I am an entrepreneur and foodie at heart,” he said.

Together with his friend and co-founder of  Seed Ranch Flavor Co., Joshua Onysko, he experimented and developed many hot sauces. When he shared the sauces with friends and family, he was encouraged to delve deeper into making them. By December 2016, the duo made sauces in three flavors: smoked jalapeno, Thai green and umami, about 5 gallons each, to be gifted as Christmas presents in 5-ounce glass bottles.

“Demand for hot sauce has continued to grow steadily, boosted by positive demographic consumption trends, a growing number of hot sauce producers and brands and rising demand from the food service and grocery sectors, ” according to a recent IBIS report. The report sees potential growth opportunity for the industry in view of increased consumer spending in 2019.

Delcourt recently talked with the Daily Camera about his new business. He has been using recycled Daily Camera newspaper for packaging. It doesn’t save him money, but it’s important to him for environmental sustainability.

“Our customers really appreciate that,” he said.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

1. You said you are a foodie at heart. Can you elaborate in the context of your company?

Delcourt: My father is French and mother is English. My sister is a chef in Italy and I have an uncle who’s a chef in the U.K. I can say I grew up with a diverse culinary tradition that focused on clean, good, non-GMO food.

I say we are a flavor company that uses plant-based organic ingredients, creates sophisticated flavors for everyday use. We believe that better food starts with fresh, organic and non-GMO ingredients.

I believe the term “all natural” is misleading. One should speak of organic, non-GMO, and locally sourced. We should be more specific.

2. What’s the tough part of your business?

Delcourt: There are big, established players in the hot sauce space. Plus there are low barriers to entry in this business. One needs to have unique flavors that aren’t available elsewhere.

We are a pretty bootstrapped company. We have not raised any outside money, though we got money from friends. Together with the other co-founder, I have invested about $12,000 in the business.

Since we began, we have been going to local farmers markets to develop individual relationships. We have been trying to make our potential customers understand the culinary process, to turn everyday cooks into chefs through our products.

People are more likely to buy our products on Amazon than our own website.

I think seasoning and snacks are going to be our growth areas. We have come up with organic popcorn made with organic herbs and spices. Getting the word out is not easy.

3. What are the benefits of being based in Boulder?

Delcourt: Boulder has a vibrant ecosystem that’s particularly well-suited for the food and beverage industry. A forum like Naturally Boulder offers us an opportunity to tap into the breadth of the available knowledge-base in the community. We have been lucky enough to have one-on-one talks with top experts on different aspects of running a food business.

There are companies at different stages of growth and entrepreneurs with a variety of experience in Boulder, and all of them are willing to share their expertise to help others avoid mistakes.

Plus, there are local grocery stores that can be more flexible in providing you with shelf space.

4. What’s the best piece of advice you got?

Delcourt: Start small. Become a household name in your own backyard before expanding nationally.

5. How do you look at social media to connect with potential customers?

Delcourt: Part of our strategy is to re-target customers we have spoken with. Most of our online traffic comes from Instagram. Visual content definitely has more appeal, and we look at Instagram as a great avenue to grow our customer base.

We send out an email newsletter once or twice a month to engage with our customers. Our content often centers on recipes, new products and promotions. We try to keep it interesting so that it is read.




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