Freetime: Gardening Hobby Grows into Thriving Family Business

Amy Sapp and her husband, Mark, just celebrated three years of marriage in January. It also marks the two-year anniversary since the couple started their new hobby. With a goal to eat healthier and improve their diets, the pair planted a garden. 

“We grew tomato plants, eggplants, squash, and zucchini,” notes Amy, who spends her days as general manager of PR Chemical and Paper Supply in Pensacola, Florida. “We also tried growing ginger, turmeric, and garlic, but they didn’t work out.”  

Dedicated to going all-in, the Sapps also planted 30 pepper plants in hopes to support their love of all things spicy. This included varieties such as the Monkey Face Red Pepper; God Stopper Yellow Pepper; Purple Death Pepper; Red Ghost Pepper; Yellow Scorpion Pepper; Black Jalapeno Pepper; and Sugar Rush Peach Pepper. 

Soon, a healthy crop was ready for harvest and the pair started looking for ways to preserve their haul. Mark, a pastor at a faith-based treatment program, mentioned the peppers at work and was encouraged to make homemade organic pepper jam. Amy got to work on the research. 

“I ended up going down a rabbit hole of organic gardening information — from pesticides and what’s in the soil, to organic farming practices that are legal here but not outside of the United States," recalls Amy. “As a result of all that research, we now use organic fruit.”  

Very early on in the jam-making process, Amy says they decided to start “Sapp’s Kitchen.” Under that label, the couple now markets jams, peppers, and more.  

Besides the peppers they grow in their own garden, Amy says they also source organic blueberries, peaches, strawberries, cherries, huckleberries, pineapples, grapes, raspberries, and satsuma oranges from Florida and from nearby Alabama.  

“In the future, we’re going to try growing our own pears because Mark wants to plant fruit trees and he loves pears,” she adds.   

As for what ignited the gardening passion that has since continued to grow, Amy credits the cathartic nature of the practice. 

“Mark comes home from work all ‘peopled-out.’ Gardening started as his thing, but quickly became our thing,” Amy notes. “He focuses on the peppers, and I do everything else.”   

Mark’s focus includes being creative about pairing various combinations of fruit and peppers. Meanwhile, Amy uses her time on the weekends to bring the visions to fruition in the kitchen. The pair has developed such combinations as “Strawberry Scorpion” and “Honey Habanero”. 

“For me, it’s sometimes difficult to come up with ideas, so when Mark gives me the ideas for fruit and pepper combinations, I’ll go with them,” she says. “While I’m preparing the jams, Mark keeps me company in the kitchen.”  

The Sapps currently sell 300 to 400 jars of jam annually, mostly on Facebook and by word of mouth. They also have a friend who asked if she could sell the Sapp’s Kitchen jams as part of her charcuterie board business, which has provided some nice exposure for the pair. 

Although the jams have been a success, the Sapps aren’t slowing down. Hot sauces are also on the Sapp’s Kitchen horizon. The pair is honing their craft by mixing peppers with vinegar or fermenting them, each of which provides a different taste. 

“We’re still experimenting with the hot sauce, so we’re usually giving it away rather than selling it,” says Amy. 

Keep an eye on Amy and Mark Sapp, and the deliciousness that comes out of their kitchen now and in the future.  

“We’re looking at eventually expanding and growing the business into meal prep and perhaps catering, so we would do that from a shared kitchen facility,” hints Amy.  

Gretchen Roufs, a 25-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns a marketing and public relations company in San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “Freetime,” contact her at Gretchen@GretchenRoufs.com.