With a broadcast journalism diploma— but a call to the world of spice instead—Mohawk College Alumnus Brodie Dawson is burning through the spice industry, doing what he loves and being recognized for it. What started as a hobby in his "hippie era" has grown into Dawson's Hot Sauce, a Hamilton-based brand that ships fiery, flavour-packed hot sauces around the world.

With sauces featured on five seasons of Hot Ones— the popular YouTube show that has celebrities answering questions while eating progressively spicier chicken wings— and a passion for creating bold new flavours, Brodie proves that doing what you love will lead to great things.

Brodie was always someone who tapped into his creativity. He and his brother played in bands throughout high school and college, and after completing the accelerated broadcast journalism program, he set his sights on a music career.

"We had a lot of fun with it, we toured and made a couple of records," he said.

But when his time on the road ended and the realization that journalism wasn’t for him, Brodie had a decision to make— what did he want to do with his life?

"I wanted to find something that would be creative and keep it local. Making hot sauce during that time was a hobby of mine and just kind of stuck."

Fast-forward 12 years, and Dawson’s Hot Sauce ships far beyond Canada. The small spicy sauce business sources whatever it can from inside the country, but unfortunately, some specialty superhot peppers just can’t be grown in Canada.

"Just this year, I dedicated a lot of time to sourcing everything I could right here in Canada," Brodie said, with the looming tariffs in mind. "But for the ingredients that can’t grow here, we get them directly from where they exist in the natural world."

Brodie is constantly looking for ways to expand the taste buds of Dawson’s Hot Sauces consumers, and if you haven’t guessed, creating new sauces is one of his favourite parts of the job.

"You hit natural roadblocks like ‘is there anything left to create?’" he said with an ear-to-ear grin, "There’s always something left; all you have to do is talk to someone about where they travelled or an exotic ingredient they’ve tried, and suddenly you’re going down a rabbit hole and finding one hundred new things to try. It always ends up working well with the sauces."

Curiosity and creativity have helped Dawson’s Hot Sauce make a mark in the hot sauce community. More than any other Canadian-made hot sauce, the brand has appeared in five seasons of Hot Ones, serving A-list celebs like Billie Eilish and Gordon Ramsay.

"We went to hot sauce expos, met the right people, and kept sending sauces that we thought were cool," Brodie said. "Eventually, they selected our brand."

Five years ago, Brodie never imagined his business would be where it is today. He hopes to grow the company, expand brand recognition, and one day own a dedicated hot sauce facility.

By: Jade Deanna '25