When Beau met Melanie, they discovered they shared not only a love of cooking, they found their “happy place” was outdoors working in their garden. While gardening, Beau found a new fascination with growing hot peppers, challenging himself to grow the hottest of hot peppers available, despite the mild northern California climate. One year, with a very large harvest of a variety of nine types of peppers, and not knowing exactly what to do with the crazy hot peppers, Beau decided to dehydrate the harvest. He combined the hot, mild and sweet peppers and added Kosher salt to complete the finished product. This creation, which would later become the Martin Family Farms Hot Pepper Finishing Salt, was loved by family and friends.
The Story of Martin Family Farms
Martin Family Farms was established in 2023, although the roots of the business started years ago. Long before Beau met Melanie, he discovered his love of cooking. His first true job was in a small restaurant in Sebastopol, California.
It was here he learned how to create and season food and this love of cooking stuck with Beau. During his long career in law enforcement, Beau continued to cook for his friends and family and truly discovered his love for sharing his food with others.
Years later, in 2019, Beau and Melanie moved to Gallatin, Tennessee after retiring from injuries that resulted from long careers in law enforcement. With more land than they had in California, they immediately started growing and developing their garden. Again, Beau and Melanie found their “happy place” being outdoors together, nurturing their gardens and developing new and organic ways of growing nearly 40 different varieties of peppers. Their farm, cared for by them and their children, became a vibrant haven filled with hot peppers, an array of herbs and vegetables, and the soothing aroma of lavender.
Our Vision
After years of being encouraged by their children, Beau and Melanie decided to take a leap of faith, not unlike the one they took 4 years earlier when they moved to Tennessee. They decided to start Martin Family Farms. Their first official product, the Hot Pepper Finishing Salt, is the heart of their business. Affectionately dubbed as “salt and pepper’s third wheel”, Beau and Melanie envision their Hot Pepper Finishing Salt sitting on the kitchen table, available to any member of the family who enjoys adding a little spice to their meal. This vision is now extended to your table, the very same blend that rests on theirs.