Exploring Life & Business with Edd Costner of Wild Side Pepper Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Edd Costner.

Hi Edd, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey with peppers goes all the way back to 1990, when I tried Tabasco for the first time the love of spice hit me. In 2000, a friend’s mom taught me how to make homemade hot sauce, and that really ignited my passion for experimenting with heat and flavor. For years it was simply a hobby I enjoyed in between work and family life.
Then in 2023, my wife Amanda asked me a question that completely changed my direction:
“What would you regret never doing?”
My answer came out immediately — not trying to sell my hot sauces.
But I also knew the hot sauce market is packed, and building a sauce business while keeping a full-time job didn’t feel realistic. Still, that conversation stayed with me.
Around that same time, Amanda had been growing a wide variety of incredibly hot and flavorful peppers in our garden. We started drying them, grinding them, and experimenting with blends — always focusing on flavor first and heat second. Those early blends opened up a new lane for us. They were clean, bold, and different from anything you could buy in stores.
In 2024, we took the leap and launched Wild Side Pepper Company — a brand rooted in our story, our garden, and our shared passion for bringing pure pepper power to people’s kitchens. Our motto, “Where peppers run free and flavors roar,” speaks to exactly how we approach every blend.
What began as kitchen experiments has now grown into a full product lineup, from pepper flake blends to Scorcheeze spicy cheese puffs and stainless-steel chili grinders. The support we’ve received at Colorado festivals, markets, and events has truly built a “Wild Side Family.”
Both Amanda and I still work full-time jobs while continuing to build the Wild Side Pepper Company on nights, weekends, and every spare hour we can find. It’s a lot of work, but seeing people fall in love with our seasonings makes every long day worth it. This business is the result of decades of passion, teamwork, and one life-changing question that pushed me to finally chase the dream.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road — and anyone who has ever started a business knows you don’t truly understand what you’re getting into until you’re in it. You might have a general vision for how you want things to go, but there are always obstacles that come up that you could never fully anticipate.

Those challenges are what build the foundation of a business. They teach you how to adapt, problem-solve, and handle setbacks when they arise. From production and packaging to logistics, pricing, and time management, there’s been a constant learning curve — especially while building the company alongside full-time jobs.

What’s made the biggest difference is the support from our friends and family. Their encouragement, feedback, and willingness to help in big and small ways have meant more to us than we can express. Having people believe in what you’re building makes the hard days easier and the wins even more meaningful.

That said, it’s also been an incredibly fun and rewarding journey. We’ve learned so much along the way, solved new problems as they come, and met some truly incredible customers. We feel very blessed by the support we’ve received in our first two years, and we’re still growing and working through the natural growing pains that come with each new step forward.

At the end of the day, this business is driven by love and passion. When you’re building something you truly believe in, the long hours and late nights become easier — because you’re chasing a dream surrounded by people who support you.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Wild Side Pepper Company is a family-run, Colorado-based specialty seasoning brand built around one simple philosophy: flavor first, heat second — and real heat always. At our core, our mission is to give true spice lovers honest options for genuine spicy heat, not products built on hype or marketing alone. If something is labeled hot, it needs to actually deliver.

We specialize in custom-blended, pure pepper–driven and salt-free seasonings that let the natural character of each pepper shine. Our peppers are carefully procured directly from specialty spice dealers around the world, chosen specifically for flavor, aroma, and heat balance. This allows us to create blends that offer depth and complexity while still delivering the kind of heat serious spice lovers are looking for.

What sets us apart is our commitment to authenticity. We don’t dilute heat for mass appeal, and we don’t rely on buzzwords or exaggerated labels. Our niche has always been — and will always be — serving people who truly love spice and want real heat they can trust, with flavor to match.

We’re hands-on in every part of the process, from developing and refining blends to packaging and selling. Over time, our lineup has expanded beyond seasonings to include products like Scorcheeze, our spicy cheese puffs, and stainless-steel chili grinders — all created to complement how people actually cook and enjoy food.

Brand-wise, what we’re most proud of is the community we’ve built. Meeting customers face-to-face at Colorado markets, festivals, and events has turned first-time buyers into loyal supporters we call the Wild Side Family. Our motto, “Where peppers run free and flavors roar,” reflects our creativity, independence, and commitment to bold flavor.

What we want readers to know is that Wild Side Pepper Company is built on passion, honesty, and respect for the spice community. We’re still growing, still learning, and excited to continue creating pepper-forward products that deliver real heat — without compromise.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I don’t rely on just one resource, but I’m always learning. I subscribe to Audible and regularly listen to audiobooks focused on marketing, leadership, and personal discipline. Authors like Russell Brunson have helped me better understand online marketing, sales funnels, and how to reach the right audiences, while leadership books from Jocko Willink and Leif Babin have influenced how I think about accountability, consistency, and showing up every day — even when things get hard.

I also spend time learning about online sales strategies, SEO techniques, and digital marketing through articles, videos, and educational content that focuses on how to connect with specific audiences more effectively. That ongoing learning has been especially important as we continue to grow an online business alongside in-person events.

Beyond that, some of the most valuable learning comes from real-world experience — conversations with other small business owners, vendors at markets, and customers who offer honest feedback. Combining structured learning with hands-on experience has helped me stay adaptable and continue improving both personally and professionally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wildsidepeppercompany.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildsidepeppercompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildSidePepper/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@wild.side.pepper