The Lore Behind the Harmacy Crew

We have a pretty colorful cast of people working here at Harmacy, but have you ever found yourself wondering, “how did they all get here?” Well, wonder no more! In this blog post, we'll be cracking open the vault and releasing the lore, the Harmacy lore!

Homero

Before Harmacy Hot Sauce, Homero was an engineering student, only a little over a year from graduation. Food was, and still is, a great passion of his, but for a while he didn’t know how to make a living from it outside of working for a restaurant. He’d spent nearly 3 years in that industry already, and learned how quickly a toxic environment can rob you of your passion. Needing a steadier career path, and already interested in technology (NERD), he began to pursue a future in electrical engineering. That didn't stop him from cooking at home and immersing himself in the world of food as a creative release. He’d been making hot sauce as a hobby to escape the crushing course work, and sharing sauce with his friends. They *loved* them, and began to encourage and push him to consider selling it.

Swamped with schoolwork, it sounded like a TERRIBLE idea and he dismissed it whenever it was brought up. That was in 2020, and then, fatefully, the pandemic came and shut society down. All of his classes were moved online at a time when they were the most complex and he stopped being able to learn what he needed effectively. This snapped him out of the idea that engineering was what he really wanted to do, causing him to heavily consider his hand at selling sauce. On Christmas day of 2020, Homero decided to commit, and Harmacy Hot Sauce was born.

Zach

Zach started working at Harmacy in May of 2024, but he'd been working in kitchens his entire adult life. He always loved working with and around food, but wanted to do something more rewarding with a far higher ceiling than a common line cook or low-level chef. In April of 2024, a good friend of his, Rob Reed (also good friend to Homero), had mentioned that a buddy was working on a one-man hot sauce company and needed some help. Ol’ Rob had talked about Homero in passing, telling him for years how he thought they’d get along and should hang out, to which Zach would always respond, “I’m a grown ass man, and I don't do playdates.” This time was different though. Zach was intrigued by the idea of helping this small kitchen business grow. The first time he met Homero was for his informal “job interview” and it was at that moment that he could tell there was something special about this opportunity, about Harmacy. The passion with which Homero explained his hot sauces, and how he started the company was infectious. Zach was hooked immediately. The pair ended up clicking, talking for hours about food and the hot sauce business that Zach was now incredibly eager to learn about. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, Zach has gone from Harmacy’s first cook, to being Homero’s second in command. He oversees the main bulk of production, material ordering, making sure processes are written out and followed. Zach keeps the tempo inside the shop, and keeps morale high in a way *only* he can 😌

Dylan 

Dylan grew up moving around quite a bit and learned early on the importance of hard work, adaptability, and persistence. After finishing high school, he was focused on building a stable future for himself, and quickly realized that no one but him can make his own life better. It would take years of hard work and commitment to get to where he wanted to go. So at 19, Dylan and his girlfriend took their lives into their own hands and moved from Florida to Tennessee to look for a fresh start to build their lives. Like a lot of people his age, they were figuring things out as they went and working hard to create a stable life. He spent a year working whatever jobs he could, making minimum wage and barely making ends meet. That wasn't enough, and he went searching for something meaningful. Dylan needed a job that would help him grow, and could support him and his girlfriend as they found their footing. He posted on Reddit, explaining his story, and asked the local community for opportunities hoping to find the job he needed to move his life forward. Luckily for both of them, Homero happened upon that post and decided to reach out.

Dylan was understandably skeptical at first, hearing that it was a brand new business, and that nothing was guaranteed. After meeting Homero, and seeing what he had going on, Dylan realized that the business may not be big yet, but he could tell that one day soon it was going to take off, now with his help. He’d never been a part of a crew quite like this; the energy of the shop, and the vibes everyone gave off, were different than anywhere he'd ever worked before. It’s been two years now since Dylan joined us, starting on the ground floor as an order packer. It gave him the chance to learn the business and to see first-hand what, how, and why we do what we do. As he gained experience, Dylan became more interested in the production side of the operation and worked his way into making the sauces himself. Today, Dylan is proud to be our head cook, responsible for creating our sauces from prep to bottling. What he appreciates most is seeing how much attention and care goes into every batch, and the details that separate a good sauce from a great one. His path to this job wasn't a straight one, but the lessons he's learned along the way are what helped him move from packing orders to becoming the biggest part of our sauce making process.

Jeffrey

A few years back, Jeffrey worked together with Dylan at a local deli chain. Before he knew it, his buddy was packing up his stuff and moving on to bigger things. After some time, he began to grow tired of his mundane work (especially down a friend), fearing being stuck in a corporate restaurant forever and never getting to be anything more. That's when he got a text from Dylan that might just change his life! The two of them hadn't kept up too much since he switched jobs, but here he was, asking Jeffrey to come help at this new “hot sauce” place. The next thing Jeffrey knew, he was parked outside Harmacy to see what it was about. A tour and a quick conversation later, Jeffrey came on part time to focus on logistics, starting with packing orders. He'd been dreaming of a job where he could feel valued, could grow in, and could be proud to devote his time to. He'd been inspired by everyone's stories, and how Homero had managed to grow this business out of his kitchen, and Jeffrey was willing to take the risk with them. That risk is paying off, with Jeffrey now going from a part time order packer, to a full time position, where he also keeps charge of stock, takes counts, and keeps everything warehouse related working smoothly.

Poe

Poe started working at Harmacy in early 2025, finding the job from a mutual friend of hers and Zach's. She had been working a booth for a marketing company for almost two years, but was feeling aimless in finding meaningful work. She loves working with the public, with big dreams of doing something that she could be proud of, something her current position wasn’t providing. That changed when her friend told her about Harmacy. At first, she thought it would be just like any other job, being kept busy with menial work and with no way to display her real talents, but that wasn't the case. From the start, Homero saw potential in her that so many other jobs couldn’t, that she had a real drive to be something more. Poe has an arsenal of skills at her disposal. As an artist and genuine people person, she brings creativity, cheer, and a special brand of character to the environment here at Harmacy. Her role has developed significantly since she began, starting as an order packer and then moving on to working our local events; now Poe has found her place with us as part of the marketing team. It’s a challenging job with a lot to learn, but she's excited to continue growing and sharpening her skills every day.

There's a little primer for all of us here at Harmacy. We're very fortunate to be a crew that meshes so well together and no day is complete without some supremely stupid humor. We work hard, and laugh harder. Who did you learn the most about?