Exploring Life & Business with Clark Olson of Mago Hot Sauce

Today we’d like to introduce you to Clark Olson.

Hi Clark, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I wanted to travel for a while after college, so I decided to backpack throughout parts of South America. Having a minimal budget ended up being such a blessing as I depended on locals and the local transportation. I was able to really soak in all the sights, the culture, and the food of the different regions I went to. After about 6-7 months of living out of a backpack and staying in hostels, I settled in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I starting teaching English for the next year. I found an amazing little place to rent in a shared home called Los Elefantes. The owner of Los Elefantes was inspired by her travels to India. She had art everywhere, including pieces that she had made herself, as well as statues and figures of Ganesha, a Hindu deity. She rented studios to foreigners like myself and we all became a family during my time there. Our Mago hot sauce label is a tribute to my time traveling abroad and this amazing place where I lived. There was a dog and two cats that we all loved. One of the cats was named Mago, which means wizard or magician in Spanish. I decided to call the brand Mago and our tagline has become Spicy Magic.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely wasn’t always easy, and still presents many challenges. I had never run a business before and it was difficult at times managing the many responsibilities as well as red tape in the beginning. It took time to be able to pay myself, and even then it was a struggle to pay my personal bills when I started out. Every penny went straight back into the business for a couple of years and I was working in restaurants to support myself.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We make unique sauces that focus on flavor over extreme heat. Every product is a different member of the family with different flavors and levels of heat. We love hearing about customers’ favorites. We now make seasonal and limited edition sauces that have become very popular too, including our Pumpkin & Rum Hot Sauce and our Ginger & Lemongrass Hot Sauce.

I am most proud of connecting with our customers and our community and growing into a successful business. Every week I did multiple farmer’s markets for many years, and I still sell the sauces at the Laguna Beach Farmers Market every Saturday. I can’t wait to sample our next hot sauce at the market and our upcoming events when it’s ready- our Black Garlic Hot Sauce. It’s delicious!

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I’m really excited to see where the industry goes from here. I have considered branching out from hot sauce as well while still offering our current products and staying true to our roots. I love spicy food and using peppers in different ways, so I think any new products will still have at least a little kick to them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.magohotsauce.com
• Instagram: @magohotsauce