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.

B次元官网网址淚 remember coming downstairs and Graham was in the kitchen, and he doesnB次元官网网址檛 really cook, so I said to him, B次元官网网址榳hat are you doing?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� explains Pam, sitting on the sunny deck of their Oak Bay home. B次元官网网址淗e just looked at me and said he was making horseradish and I just walked away.B次元官网网址�

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.

B次元官网网址淚 thought he was nuts,B次元官网网址� admits Pam, laughing. B次元官网网址淏ut it was seriously good horseradish, and it was something we had never been able to find in a grocery store B次元官网网址� that was our big motivator.B次元官网网址�

After the couple experimented with a few batches and perfected the recipe, Graham took it Root Cellar and asked if theyB次元官网网址檇 be interested in stocking the product.

B次元官网网址淭hey said yes, and that was really the beginning of the whole adventure,B次元官网网址� Graham says.

With Graham working as a real estate agent and Pam as a physiotherapist, there wasnB次元官网网址檛 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.

B次元官网网址淗orseradish is a brutal thing to work with,B次元官网网址� explains Pam. B次元官网网址淵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 B次元官网网址� that was a ton of work but we always did it and we managed to keep our suppliers stocked,B次元官网网址� 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.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 probably one of our favourite ways to sell the product because you get direct feedback right then and there,B次元官网网址� Pam says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 incredibly satisfying to connect with our customers directly.B次元官网网址�

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

B次元官网网址淭he key to a good, hot horseradish is growing it somewhere that has a true freezing cycle,B次元官网网址� Pam explains.

B次元官网网址淭he freezing cycle encourages the heat, and the horseradish should be in the ground for a good couple of years to be really hot.B次元官网网址�

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

B次元官网网址淎 lot of big companies just throw the whole root in and donB次元官网网址檛 peel it, but that makes it so much more bitter,B次元官网网址� 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 CBCB次元官网网址檚 DragonsB次元官网网址� Den. They were asked to present on the show, and four out of five Dragons gave them offers.

B次元官网网址淲e went with Manjit Minhas because she is well-versed in the food and beverage industry but it just never came to fruition,B次元官网网址� explains Graham. B次元官网网址淲hat an incredible experience, though. Meeting the Dragons was great, and the producers were absolutely amazing. It was a blast.B次元官网网址�

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.

B次元官网网址淲e just felt like we were facing roadblock after roadblock last year and it got tough,B次元官网网址� admits Graham. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 still just the two of us managing this company, while working and raising two kids. ItB次元官网网址檚 a lot. But we are both still invested in this to make it work and we are always learning and being inspired by it.B次元官网网址�

Six months ago, they moved production to a federally-inspected and approved kitchen in Vancouver, which opens up where they can distribute their horseradish. ItB次元官网网址檚 still made by hand in small batches, but the federal kitchen designation allows them to qualify for approval by the FDA.

B次元官网网址淲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,B次元官网网址� Graham explains.

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

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 easy to stay small and sell in the farmerB次元官网网址檚 markets and local grocery stores,B次元官网网址� Graham says. B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檝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 weB次元官网网址檙e kind of stuck in the middle.B次元官网网址�

Despite that challenge, Pam says theyB次元官网网址檙e lucky to not be selling in a particularly saturated market.

B次元官网网址淭here isnB次元官网网址檛 much competition when it comes to horseradish and I think, ultimately, itB次元官网网址檚 because itB次元官网网址檚 not a very nice thing to work with,B次元官网网址� she laughs.

The product line currently has three varieties B次元官网网址� 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?

B次元官网网址淚 just want to reach that goal of getting our product into the U.S. and the rest of Canada,B次元官网网址� says Graham. B次元官网网址淏eyond that, I donB次元官网网址檛 even know. With something like this, when you started in such a small way, itB次元官网网址檚 crazy to think itB次元官网网址檚 already been as successful as it has. WeB次元官网网址檙e very lucky.B次元官网网址�