Meet Our Makers
You Betcha! Box was started in 2017 with the mission of building stronger communities in Minnesota by providing a marketplace for local entrepreneurs. These “makers,” as we refer to them, are local small businesses from across Minnesota that share a common bond of working hard to grow and sustain their companies by developing innovative, unique culinary delights.
We invite you to get to know our Makers below as each have an inspiring story to share. And, when you gift a You Betcha! Box, your recipients will get to know our Makers as well! Every You Betcha! Box includes a profile of the makers featured in the box, sharing their story and recipes or serving suggestions.
“My mother made sauce that was a bit sweet, complex, spicy, and went on a variety of Korean dishes. Once I moved to Minnesota I felt a bit empty. I soon realized it was because I missed my mom’s home-cooked meals. That is how I came up with K-Mama Sauce.” says Founder, K.C. Kye. After you try the delicious flavor K-Mama imparts, you will never want to go without a bottle in the fridge.
Oak Valley Creations
Savage, MN
Before organic was a buzzword, it was a part of Debbie Fairbanks’ life, a passion she has brought to her products at Oak Valley Creations. Debbie offers a wide variety of products made in small batches using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Her jellies, spices, and teas marry spice with fresh flavor.
Terroir Chocolate
Fergus Falls, MN
“Each of our organic, single-origin dark chocolate bars have unique taste profiles, much like wine or coffee. We use ethically sourced cacao beans, hand-sorted, small-batch roasted, and stone-ground for several days, molded into bars and hand wrapped in Fergus Falls,” says owners, Josh and Kristin, who fell in love with chocolate making and the complexity of cacao while honeymooning in San Francisco.
Hellraising Hot Sauce
Richfield, MN
Hellraising Hot Sauce was created in Minneapolis by husband and wife team David and Leigh Taylor who have a passion for all things spicy. Their hot sauces and salsas are made from the finest quality ingredients and interesting combinations with the goal of striking just the right balance between flavor and heat.
Zambezi Kitchen
Minneapolis, MN
Founder, Mwila Kapungulya, migrated to Minnesota 15 years ago from Zambia, Africa to attend university. He is a computer scientist as well as a culinary artisan. He founded Zambezi Kitchen to share his native land’s rich culture through seasonings. You’ll want all 4 of their spice blends to amp up your grillables, sauces, and comfort foods like rice dishes, west indies jerk, BBQ ribs, chicken and burgers!
Facepunch Foods
St. Paul, MN
This local company evolved over many years as a family affair; growing, cultivating, and bonding while making small-batch hot sauces for themselves and friends. Finally, in 2017, Mark Petersen launched Facepunch commercially into the fanatical foray of hot sauce. His family of 4 unique hot sauce varieties will knock your socks off, striking a perfect balance of flavor and heat!
Patti’s Granola and Nuts
Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota Hockey Mom, Patti Heimbold, started out by bringing bags of her granola to her son’s hockey games (hockey players need healthy snacks, don’tcha know). Families started asking how they could order it and a new business was born! You will go nuts for Patti’s Nuts too! Both flavors, Rosemary and Maple Cinnamon, feature extra large, premium mixed nuts.
Coco, Bee, & Nut
Minneapolis, MN
Kathryn Nelson, who always loved experimenting with food, developed Coco, Bee & Nut when a friend was looking for a lower-carb breakfast cereal alternative. “At Coco, Bee & Nut, our conviction to help others and promote healthy, whole food-focused living is at the heart of everything we do.”
Sharab Shrubs
Minneapolis, MN
In 2016, master mixologist, Alex Zweber, started creating different shrubs, also known as drinking vinegars, from seasonal fruits to be used throughout the year. Originally used predominantly in cocktails, Zweber soon found uses for shrubs in non-alcoholic beverages, marinades, vinaigrettes and sauces.
Mr. B’s Bar-B-Q Sauce
Apple Valley, MN
About 40 years ago, the Legendary Mr. B (and his sauces) floated upstream from the Mississippi Delta to Minneapolis. You may recognize him from his BBQ Stand at Minnesota Wild hockey games where he enjoys a legendary reputuation with the team as well as the fans. The Legendary Mr. B’s BBQ Sauce is the right kinda slather for what’s on the grill, what’s on the bun, or what you are dipping or mixing.
Kuzala Macaroons
Medina, MN
Organic, nourishing and delicious, Kuzala Macaroons come in 9 flavors. Developed by Christopher Dark to address his family’s dietary needs, every ingredient has been carefully selected for its nourishing, nutrient-dense qualities. Kuzala Macaroons not only taste great, they are loaded with fabulous fats and fiber from coconuts and nutrient and mineral rich maple syrup and pink Himalayan Salt.
Hacienda San Jose Chocolate
New Hope, MN
“If we make the best cacao beans in the world, it’s time to make the best chocolate… And so we did”, says Monica Jimenez, founder of Hacienda San Jose Chocolate. This rich, smooth chocolate is sourced from her family’s award-winning, 90-year-old cacao plantation, Hacienda San Jose, in Los Rios, Ecuador.
Hoyo Foods
Bloomington, MN
At Hoyo, the heart of their business is mothers. “Hoyo”, means “mother” in Somali and was founded by sisters Mariam, Halima and Asha along with restaurant consultant Matt with the purpose of employing and empowering Somali women. “We hire mothers to make one of their favorite dishes, sambusa. This way, they are able to share a piece of their culture with the Twin Cities community while also providing for their families.”
Ancient Indian Spices
St. Paul, MN
Founder Deborah’s husband Rob, and their son Anil, were born in India. They have a passion to help Midwesterners discover Indian cuisine and the fine art of Indian cooking. Their incredible, organic spice mixes are handcrafted in small batches in St. Paul. Each spice is individually selected, pan roasted by hand to allow the natural fragrance and flavor to emerge, and finally ground and blended according to traditional recipes from India.
Hobby Farmer Canning Company
St. Paul, MN
Hobby Farmer Canning Co. three founders share recipes handed down in their families through generations. Their Pickle and Switchel recipes appeal to serious foodies who understand the value of maintaining health in a natural and holistic way and their Switchel Fizz is a tasty and healthy fermented drink which has historic roots among farmers. They’ve been turning heads with their pickles too. Their Zesty Pickled Beets recently won the Good Food Award in San Francisco!
Bootstrap Coffee Roasters
St. Paul, MN
Bootstrap Coffee Roasters was started by industry veteran Micah Svejda in 2014. At the heart of the vision was a focus on sourcing excellent, sustainable and traceable coffees in season, careful roasting and amazing customer experience! “We believe that economic and environmental sustainability are inseparable from quality. Therefore, we seek coffees that provide excellent sensory experience AND that are produced with deep respect for people and planet.”
Remix Popcorn & Delights
St. Paul, MN
Stephen and Danielle Porter opened Remix Popcorn and Delights on St. Paul’s Marshall Avenue in November of 2019… 3 months later Covid hit, followed by the George Floyd tragedy… Too new to qualify for assistance, the whole family, including their three kids, rolled up their sleeves, doubled down and have been working with the faith that if they stick to their vision, treat customers well, and keep making the most delicious and innovatively flavored popcorn, fudge, candy and cakes in the area, customers will come.
Cry Baby Craig’s
Fairbault, MN
Local Chef, Craig Kaiser, invented the recipe for his Pickled Habanero and Garlic Hot Sauce when he had an accidental abundance of peppers and pickled them for preservation. He decided to make a hot sauce with them and culinary history was made! It’s flavor is unique and features habanero peppers which are not cooked—they’re pickled so they retain their more delicate and fruity notes from the peppers.