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Spice Up Your Summer: The Ultimate Culinary Experience in a Jar
As a chef and gardener, James Campbell has always wanted to create his own unique hot sauce, one that will rival all others on the market. With a mountain full of hot peppers in his garden, he set out to develop his signature hot sauce, but soon failed to achieve the diverse flavour profile he was looking for.
Fast forward to a few years later, James stumbled upon a jar of sweet red pepper jelly in his mother’s fridge. Suddenly, it all clicked; jelly was the perfect canvas for the culinary experience he was looking for. James crafted a delectable hot pepper jelly recipe and created his brand, SweetHellOnEarth in Oshawa, Ontario. “We love the culinary arts and believe every plate is a blank canvas waiting to be painted. Our zest for life and mischievous nature is what drives us, on our path to create flavours that are unique, bold and a fresh take on an old idea.”
Though SweetHellOnEarth operated as a brick-and-mortar store, James realized that moving online was crucial for survival amidst the pandemic lockdowns. Wanting to grow and cultivate his brand, James signed up for the ShopHERE Powered by Google Program to create his online store.
“Online presence is absolutely important if a small business wants to grow. As a brick and mortar individual, moving online is the new frontier for us. It is the only way to move forward and cultivate our brand.”
James was paired with eCommerce Coordinator Alicia, who helped him create and launch his online store on Square. He wanted an eCommerce website that would encapsulate both his background in culinary arts and his roots in Punk Rock. Through many phone calls and video meetings, a fun, vibrant, and quirky website was born to capture the look and vision of SweetHellOnEarth. With support from Alicia every step of the way, James is equipped with all the knowledge and confidence needed in managing his online store.
“I could not have been paired with a better Coordinator. Alicia is bright, has a sense of humor, and is unafraid to think outside of the box. She really brought out the colour of SweetHellOnEarth. Alicia built me a store that can grow; we now have a seed that will grow into a tree with branches full of amazing products and merch. You have a real asset in Alicia working with DMS.”
Overall, James had a blast working with the ShopHERE Program and couldn’t be more happy with his new online store. He continues to take advantage of all the marketing resources offered by the program to learn and grow his business. “The ShopHERE Program has given me all the resources and tools needed to succeed.” To find out more about James’ gourmet hot pepper jelly, please go to SweetHellOnEarth.ca. To learn more about the ShopHERE Powered by Google Program, please click here.
Digital Main Street was created by the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) with direct support from the City of Toronto. DMS is also supported by a group of strategic business partners, including Google, Mastercard, Shopify, Meta, Intuit QuickBooks, Square, Lightspeed, Ebay and Canada Post.
A $42.5-million investment from FedDev Ontario brought together the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, Communitech, Invest Ottawa and the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association to expand the Digital Main Street Platform in order to support more businesses going digital as a response to the impacts of COVID-19 in Southern Ontario.