Tim McCarthy established Blackfire Food in 2014 as a side hustle for himself and friends when they couldn’t acquire hot sauce to their liking. The former BBC employee, who travelled a lot through his job, observed that different national cuisines frequently involved chillis or spice to some extent. “Coming back here and you’re met with chicken nuggets and williks and pig’s feet — it just wasn’t the same,” he says.
“I decided years and years ago I would make my own hot sauce and then it morphed into people wanting it. “People wanted to give me money for it and friends and family were lining up, saying: ‘You really have got to turn this into a business.’ “I had no interest, because I ran a street-art company.
But last year, just last Christmas, I actually decided to give up a career in street art and just do this because I couldn’t wear two hats.” The move from a side business to full-time has been difficult, not least because the language of food differs significantly from the language of art. “When you’re talking about B2B and SMEs, it’s completely different,” says Tim.
“Then obviously there’s legislation, there’s all the stuff to do with moving food across borders. There are food standards, there are food hygiene legislation certificates, and you’re basically starting from scratch, which I found very difficult. “I’ve always been very passionate about food.
I’ve always cooked. I’ve always developed recipes domestically at ho.