Inspiring Conversations with Kieran & Jacklyn Parhar of San Diego Pepper Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kieran & Jacklyn Parhar.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
San Diego Pepper Company’s journey to becoming San Diego’s hot sauce began in 2021 on our honeymoon in St. Thomas. A simple taste of a local Scotch bonnet sauce sparked a realization: we wanted to create a condiment that prioritized flavor and community over “gimmick” heat. Officially forming San Diego Pepper Company in July 2022, we committed to a strictly local, DIY approach—no co-packers and no shortcuts. We spent our evenings in a small kitchen in Encinitas, hand-bottling what would become the definitive San Diego Sauce.

What started as a husband-and-wife duo (Jacklyn and Kieran Parhar) working out of a two-bedroom apartment has grown into a staple of the Southern California culinary scene. We’ve scaled from our first batch of 80 bottles to being stocked in over 20 iconic locations like Jensen’s Foods and Seaside Market, and featured on the tables of The Crack Shack.

Our “North Star” has always been community impact. There is a lot of local pride throughout all of the cities in California, and San Diego is no different. We had to earn our namesake sauce – San Diego Sauce, and committed to putting our community first. Whether it’s our Spicy Pupper Sauce supporting The Animal Pad or our Adopt-a-Highway cleanup on the 805 North, we believe a brand should be as visible in its service as it is on the shelf. Slowly being recognized as San Diego’s hot sauce, we have big plans to continue supporting our community.

Recently, we’ve expanded our cultural footprint into Los Angeles. We’ve seen incredible synergy between the San Diego “Cali-Baja” spirit and the LA creative scene. A major highlight of this expansion has been our collaboration with the Early Risers series hosted by King Coffee Penguin. By supporting this series, we’ve been able to bring the “flavor of San Diego” to the LA underground music community, fueling the city’s most talented acapella lyricists with the same authentic heat we founded the company on back in the 619.

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?
Launching a craft food brand as 24-year-old newlyweds without a background in the culinary industry meant every day was a masterclass in “failing fast.” We didn’t just have to learn how to make sauce; we had to learn the logistics of the entire SoCal food supply chain. From engineering creative fixes for broken piston fillers to navigating the high-pressure demands of farmers markets, our “smooth road” was built on a foundation of 80-hour weeks and constant iteration.

However, these challenges catalyzed our growth into a broader role: regional distribution. We realized that for San Diego Pepper Company to be a true community pillar, we should help other local makers scale. We now leverage our network to distribute phenomenal products like Oaksteak BBQ, San Diego Honey Company, and Bungoyaki Teriyaki Sauce. This collaborative model has successfully pushed the “San Diego flavor” into Orange County, securing key shelf space at locations like the Huntington Beach Crown Ace Hardware.

Whether we are cleaning up the 805 North via the Adopt-a-Highway program or raising funds for “spicy” rescues through our Spicy Pupper Sauce and The Animal Pad, our mission remains the same: to be the most impactful craft brand in San Diego, one bottle—and one community project—at a time.

Our most recent project has been funding a creative platform, King Coffee Penguin, to support music artists on the West Coast. We have began filming for our Early Risers series with artists in Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Bay area. King Coffee Penguin has worked with artists like a. jene, Jane Handcock, Dizzy Wright, D-lo, Nef the Pharoah, HBK Gang and more. We are excited to have the series grow and help earn our LA footprint.

These collaborations with the community have helped San Diego Pepper Company grow a loyal following in the Southern California region. From the research on Cali-Baja cuisine, to the partnership with The Animal Pad, we’re excited for future growth.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about San Diego Pepper Company?
At San Diego Pepper Company, our mission is simple: to create what we believe is the best hot sauce in San Diego by focusing on bold flavor, high-quality ingredients, and small-batch craftsmanship. Inspired by the region’s diverse food culture, we produce artisan hot sauces that are designed to enhance food—not overpower it.

We specialize in handcrafted, small-batch hot sauces made with thoughtfully sourced ingredients, including locally grown peppers whenever possible. While heat is part of what we do, we’re best known for building layered, balanced flavors that work across a wide range of dishes—from tacos and seafood to breakfast favorites like eggs and Bloody Marys. Our sauces are made to be versatile, approachable, and something you reach for every day.

What sets us apart is our commitment to quality and our deep roots in the San Diego community. Every bottle reflects a hands-on process and a genuine passion for the craft. Rather than chasing extreme heat trends, we focus on creating the most flavorful and well-rounded hot sauces in San Diego—something both enthusiasts and casual spice lovers can appreciate.

Our sauces are crafted to bring global flavors into bottles. Our San Diego Sauce embodies Cali-baja flavor and makes for an authentic San Diego fish taco – an adaptation of baja fish tacos that uses a chipotle aioli white sauce from Crema-mixed San Diego Sauce.

We’re especially proud of the relationships we’ve built locally. You can find San Diego Pepper Company sauces at Crown Ace Hardware locations, Frazier Farms, and Valley Farms Markets, making it easy for customers across the region to experience our products. We’ve also been fortunate to collaborate with other respected San Diego businesses—our San Diego sauce has been featured in Bloody Mary mix by 619 Spirits, and our products have been used at the iconic Grant Grill inside the historic US Grant Hotel. Its been great to see San Diego Sauce growing into the community pillar we set out for it to be: San Diego’s best hot sauce.

More than anything, we want readers to know that San Diego Pepper Company is a brand rooted in community, flavor, and authenticity. We’re proud to be part of San Diego’s food scene and are committed to continuing to grow as a go-to name for anyone searching for the best hot sauce San Diego has to offer.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
A lot of our growth really comes down to the people, organizations, and creative community that poured into us early on and helped us think bigger than just making hot sauce.

One of the biggest turning points for us was going through Mission Edge’s Impact Lab. That experience helped us evolve from just another hot sauce brand into something much more intentional. We clarified our mission, committed to representing San Diego through our flavors, and expanded into distribution services so we could support and grow alongside other small businesses. That shift really marked the moment we started stepping into becoming San Diego’s hot sauce.

That clarity opened doors. We’ve since expanded into more retail locations, including multiple Sprouts stores in Chula Vista, and even the San Diego International Airport—where our sauces are now stocked as a go-to San Diego gift item for visitors looking to take home. Being part of that traveler experience has been huge for us, because it reinforces what we’re building: a product that represents the city.

In the early stages, mentorship played a massive role. Organizations like SCORE, the Cardiff 101 Association, and the City of Encinitas Economic Development team gave us guidance, structure, and confidence when we were still figuring everything out. Having people who believed in us at that stage made all the difference.

We’ve also been fortunate to grow alongside San Diego’s creative scene. Through collaborations with local music platforms like DJ Roob from Not So Serious Radio, we’ve helped build out projects like the King Coffee Penguin brand and the Early Risers series. We’ve also supported Pacific View Sessions, a live music series he runs in partnership with the City of Encinitas. Being involved in those spaces keeps us connected to the culture here—it’s not just about food, it’s about the energy of the community.

On the retail side, we’ve had incredible support from established local businesses as well. The owners of Hot Licks in Seaport Village believed in us early and helped get our sauces into broader circulation, including placements with King’s Fish House in Orange County and Los Angeles. That was a big moment for us—seeing San Diego Pepper Company represented beyond our city and expanding into a wider Southern California footprint.

At the end of the day, while books and podcasts are great, our biggest resource has been this ecosystem of local support—mentors, small business advocates, creatives, and fellow entrepreneurs. They’ve helped shape not just how we grow, but why we grow. It’s pushed us to build something that truly represents San Diego, and to carry that identity with us wherever our sauces go.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sdpeppercompany.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdpeppercompany/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYLGl3mc-qXjVdafGjHWjLw/videos
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/kingcoffeepenguin/

Image Credits
All taken in-house by SDPC