Story by Devon MacKenzie

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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It was February of 2014 when Hee-Haw Horseradish founders Graham and Pam Bavington held a dinner party featuring the first incarnation of their crowd-pleasing condiment.

91裸聊视频淚 remember coming downstairs and Graham was in the kitchen, and he doesn91裸聊视频檛 really cook, so I said to him, 91裸聊视频榳hat are you doing?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� explains Pam, sitting on the sunny deck of their Oak Bay home. 91裸聊视频淗e just looked at me and said he was making horseradish and I just walked away.91裸聊视频�

That night, after encouragement from their friends over a round of prime rib and a few rounds of red wine, Graham was already thinking of ways to take his horseradish production to a commercial level.

91裸聊视频淚 thought he was nuts,91裸聊视频� admits Pam, laughing. 91裸聊视频淏ut it was seriously good horseradish, and it was something we had never been able to find in a grocery store 91裸聊视频� that was our big motivator.91裸聊视频�

After the couple experimented with a few batches and perfected the recipe, Graham took it Root Cellar and asked if they91裸聊视频檇 be interested in stocking the product.

91裸聊视频淭hey said yes, and that was really the beginning of the whole adventure,91裸聊视频� Graham says.

With Graham working as a real estate agent and Pam as a physiotherapist, there wasn91裸聊视频檛 much time to spare in their tight schedule, but they carved out one day a week to spend in a commercial kitchen in Keating to keep their production schedule on track.

91裸聊视频淗orseradish is a brutal thing to work with,91裸聊视频� explains Pam. 91裸聊视频淵ou have to wear gas masks, otherwise you spend the whole time crying. It always amazes me looking back on our days spent in the kitchen with the few hired staff we had to help prep 91裸聊视频� that was a ton of work but we always did it and we managed to keep our suppliers stocked,91裸聊视频� she says, smiling.

Aside from getting themselves into Root Cellar, Thrifty Foods, Save-On-Foods and Whole Foods, they were also working hard on the local market circuit with help from their kids, 15-year-old Sarah and 11-year-old Matt.

91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 probably one of our favourite ways to sell the product because you get direct feedback right then and there,91裸聊视频� Pam says. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 incredibly satisfying to connect with our customers directly.91裸聊视频�

Hee-Haw is made with fresh horseradish, which the couple imports from Illinois.

91裸聊视频淭he key to a good, hot horseradish is growing it somewhere that has a true freezing cycle,91裸聊视频� Pam explains.

91裸聊视频淭he freezing cycle encourages the heat, and the horseradish should be in the ground for a good couple of years to be really hot.91裸聊视频�

But what makes the product a game-changer is the fact they hand-peel all the horseradish they use.

91裸聊视频淎 lot of big companies just throw the whole root in and don91裸聊视频檛 peel it, but that makes it so much more bitter,91裸聊视频� says Graham, adding that although tedious, hand-peeling gets the best flavor results.

After making the decision to try and grow the brand, the family decided to pitch Hee-Haw to CBC91裸聊视频檚 Dragons91裸聊视频� Den. They were asked to present on the show, and four out of five Dragons gave them offers.

91裸聊视频淲e went with Manjit Minhas because she is well-versed in the food and beverage industry but it just never came to fruition,91裸聊视频� explains Graham. 91裸聊视频淲hat an incredible experience, though. Meeting the Dragons was great, and the producers were absolutely amazing. It was a blast.91裸聊视频�

Despite early successes, the entrepreneurial couple faced a tough year in 2017 with issues around jar sizes and SKU errors, and they say at times, they almost felt like giving up.

91裸聊视频淲e just felt like we were facing roadblock after roadblock last year and it got tough,91裸聊视频� admits Graham. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 still just the two of us managing this company, while working and raising two kids. It91裸聊视频檚 a lot. But we are both still invested in this to make it work and we are always learning and being inspired by it.91裸聊视频�

Six months ago, they moved production to a federally-inspected and approved kitchen in Vancouver, which opens up where they can distribute their horseradish. It91裸聊视频檚 still made by hand in small batches, but the federal kitchen designation allows them to qualify for approval by the FDA.

91裸聊视频淲e are hoping to branch into the U.S. and break into the rest of Canada, so this is the first step in doing that,91裸聊视频� Graham explains.

But growing their business and chasing their dream also comes some growing pains.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 easy to stay small and sell in the farmer91裸聊视频檚 markets and local grocery stores,91裸聊视频� Graham says. 91裸聊视频淲hat we91裸聊视频檝e found is that middle ground, where we want to be right now, is very tough to find. You seem to either have to stay small or go huge, and we91裸聊视频檙e kind of stuck in the middle.91裸聊视频�

Despite that challenge, Pam says they91裸聊视频檙e lucky to not be selling in a particularly saturated market.

91裸聊视频淭here isn91裸聊视频檛 much competition when it comes to horseradish and I think, ultimately, it91裸聊视频檚 because it91裸聊视频檚 not a very nice thing to work with,91裸聊视频� she laughs.

The product line currently has three varieties 91裸聊视频� Dam Hot, Double Hot, and Redonkeylously Hot, which are available across B.C. in grocery stores and online from the Hee-Haw website.

As for how they see the company growing in the future?

91裸聊视频淚 just want to reach that goal of getting our product into the U.S. and the rest of Canada,91裸聊视频� says Graham. 91裸聊视频淏eyond that, I don91裸聊视频檛 even know. With something like this, when you started in such a small way, it91裸聊视频檚 crazy to think it91裸聊视频檚 already been as successful as it has. We91裸聊视频檙e very lucky.91裸聊视频�