Stevenson has spent much of the rest of his time the past several years developing his new Dayton-based business, Crazy Uncle Jester’s Inferno World, which features a product line of hot and spicy foods, including salsas, hot sauces, barbecue sauces, jellies and mustards. He is the founder, president and chef/creator.
A business that literally started in his own kitchen has grown to the point that his products can now be found in 500 stores, including many stores in the huge Winn-Dixie Stores grocery chain. Locally, his hot stuff can be purchased at Jerry’s Jamestown Market on East Broadway Street in Jackson.
With the promising returns thus far and with a firm business plan in place, Stevenson’s ambitious goal is to be in more than 4,000 grocery stories by next June as he foresees a 500 percent increase in demand within a year.
Stevenson told the Dayton Business Journal for a recent story that he was on track for sales of more than $50,000 in 2008 and expects to hit more than $500,000 next year. Within three years, he predicts sales will surpass $1 million.
Stevenson was in Jackson on Tuesday, December 2, to give Jackson Rotarians a firsthand update on his blossoming enterprise and to visit with old friends. His father is a long-time Jackson Rotarian and Jeff was in the local club for a brief time before switching his affiliation to the Kettering Rotary Club, for which he recently completed a term as president.
Stevenson revealed that the origins of Uncle Jester can be traced back many years to his culinary experimenting in Mom’s kitchen.“Everyday when I wake up, it’s hard to believe this all started with me messing around in my Mom’s kitchen,” Stevenson remarked, adding that he wasn’t satisfied to concentrate his creativity on the standard Midwestern-type recipes he grew up with.
“I always wanted to find the hottest and spiciest thing -- the most intense taste,” Stevenson noted.
He had always had a taste for hot spices and took careful note of some of the tastes he was exposed to on his honeymoon to Jamaica. Still, he had a creative bent and began working on creating his own hot/spicy concoctions. About four years ago, he had produced his first creation, Jamaican Hellfire.
At first, Stevenson’s culinary workplace was his own kitchen and the products were for his own use and for his close friends and relatives. But the reviews were glowing and Stevenson’s sense of enterprise inspired him to consider the business possibilities of marketing his new products. Initially, he obtained a state license to distribute his products at fairs, festivals and farm markets. After 18 months, it was clear that people liked his products, but the relative return was small for the amount of work and time he was putting in to the project.
Stevenson took his enterprise to the next level by securing a federal license to ship his products across state lines and rented an industrial kitchen in Athens at the Appalachian Center for Economic Development so he could produce larger volumes. Several months ago, he struck up a partnership with Hinkle Food Systems of Englewood, which is also near Dayton. This association has enabled the young entrepreneur to mass-produce his hot stuff.
As part of his marketing plan, Stevenson has developed his own website, crazyunclejester.com., has personally contacted grocery store executives to get his products placed and has hit the road to do numerous demonstrations at events. Jackson Rotarians were given the opportunity to taste his products.
Although the Uncle Jester’s mercurial growth is taking Stevenson on quite a ride these days, he remains grounded and carefully analytical about future moves. He has short-range and long-range plans and business projections, but knows he must constantly adapt to the market and be willing to change his business plan. He says he is committed to donating 10 percent of his net profits to charity.
Stevenson told Dayton Business Journal that he has several basic recommendations for the would-be entrepreneur: One has to look at their venture and themselves and analyze the strength of their product and what the market will bear. But perhaps more importantly, one must love what he or she is doing.
“If you don’t, it will eat you alive,” he said. “It’s all-consuming.”
Meanwhile, his products are not only a business success, but they are a hit with the many food connoisseurs who consider themselves hot/spicy lovers.
Stevenson earned The Golden Chile award at the 2009 Fiery Food Challenge as well as two second-place awards. In the 2009 Scovie Awards, Stevenson racked up seven awards, including two first-place finishes.
And to think, it all started in a kitchen in Jackson, Ohio.
