Cara and Adam Nelson are both from the South and were raised with a strong passion for cooking.
The duo moved to Los Angeles in their 20’s and despite taking on careers in the advertising industry, they maintained their love for the kitchen.
They’d invite friends over for chicken wing nights, frying baskets and baskets of wings that were then tossed in custom, homemade sauces. Their friends would share feedback on each sauce, rating the winners from that particular party.
The two never intended to make these sauces into their full-time businesses, but a stale point in Cara’s career presented an opportunity.
“I was at a point where I wasn’t feeling truly passionate about it,” she said about her work. “I love the creative aspects, but I had this pull to be my own boss.”
After consulting with Adam, the two decided about five years ago to take their recipes public. They started small at first, creating the sauces out of their own home kitchen and selling them at farmers markets.
With an ever-growing list of loyal customers, Blonde Beard’s Buffalo Sauce officially launched in late 2016. The Denver-based company makes its sauces with real butter and natural ingredients, unlike most companies that use an oil-based sauce.
While using butter presents additional challenges in the production process, Adam, and his blonde beard, said the flavor makes it worth the additional effort.
“It’s harder to cook with and more expensive, so most manufacturers opt out,” he said. “We wanted to stay pure to the buffalo sauce roots.”
As the company has grown, Blonde Beard’s has expanded its flavors to include things like Chicken & Waffles sauce and a new IPA Buffalo version developed with Colorado’s Upslope Brewing.
The collaboration, which came about during a random, pre-coronavirus meeting between the two companies, features Upslope's India Pale Ale to create a beer forward sauce with a smooth hoppy finish.
After perfecting the recipe, Blonde Beard’s released the new sauce in June and has received glowing reviews so far.
“Even my mom, who doesn’t like beer, loves it,” Cara said. “It really is refreshingly spicy.”
While Covid-19 has shut down many in-person sales opportunities, the founders said the company has used this time to perfect recipes and look for new growth opportunities.
“Those [markets] being out has forced us to start making money in other ways, which has been beneficial for us in the long run,” Adam said.
The duo said they’ll continue to stay true to buffalo sauce's roots as they build out their line of flavors, potentially using additional Upslope beers in the future. Blonde Beard’s is available in nearly 40 specialty grocery stores across the state and online.
While it started as a fun side project that brought friends together, Cara said Blonde Beard’s has become so much more. She laughed looking back at the business’ genesis, as the couple were having a child as they prepared to launch the sauce company.
“We say we had twins, because we birthed a business and a child,” she said.
