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A Burning Hot Business ... Really!
Edmond Kodzo Alonyo Segbeaya, or more commonly known around the east and west Kootenays as the hot sauce guy, has been busy building and promoting his fiery hot sauce around the world. Segbeaya is originally from the Togolese Republic in West Africa and came to Nelson, B.C., in 2001.
Segbeaya has been in Nelson ever since, and has been bringing products of his country to the residents of the Kootenays. Ebesse Zozo, the name of his product and the Togolese word for Habanero pepper, is the main ingredient of Segbeaya’s sauce that got him a spot on CBC’s Dragon’s Den.
A great opportunity
In May, CBC hosted Dragon’s Den auditions around Canada, looking for great entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to five multi-millionaire dragons. Segbeaya was at the audition in Nelson and wowed the producers. A few months later, he received an e-mail telling him he would be appearing on the show, which would be filmed in Toronto and airing October 7, 2009. Segbeaya was more than thrilled with the opportunity.
“It was so amazing,” said Segbeaya. “I went to Toronto to do the taping for the show with the dragons and I met them and it was so interesting. I was a little scared—these people are scary and they don’t treat people very well most of the time. But they were so nice to me, and they were so polite and they treated me with respect. I felt like I really was somebody.”
Filming the show was the experience of a lifetime, said Segbeaya. He prides himself on how hot his hot sauce is and while the dragons are resilient, their taste buds are not so tough—Segbeaya’s Ebesse Zozo hot sauce hot sauce made two of the dragons cry.
Award-winning spice
“Robert (Herjavec) tried all of the sauces and he told me that they were not hot,” said Segbeaya. “I was suprised, and wondered how hot he can take it, and I asked him if he was serious and he said, ‘yes’ so I gave him the cayenne tincture—and he started crying, and he said repeatedly, ‘I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.’ It was so funny, and one of the dragon’s asked him, ‘was it really hot?’ and he said, ‘oh yah, that’s the hottest thing I have ever had in my life.’ ”
Unfortunately, the dragons did not accept Segbeaya’s offer of $400,000 for 25 per cent of his company and Segbeaya was not willing to offer more. However, as a funny, grateful and inspiring man, he views his experience on the Dragon’s Den as a blessing.
“I don’t blame them,” said Segbeaya. “They know how to do their job and use their money, and I am trying to do my job too. It is no problem—I am okay. It was a great experience to be in front of those powerful people.”
Ebesse Zozo has received many international and local awards, including the 2006 America Best Zesty Professional Foods Contest and the Fiery Food Challenge presented by Chile Pepper magazine. Currently, Ebesse Zozo is available in Canada, the U.S. and online.
www.awassi.net
Added on November 18th, 2009
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