The fast-growing hot sauce brand Faiya got its start at Johnson & Johnson’s Fort Washington campus, wrote Lisa Dukart for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The brand’s founder, Radhi Fernandez, was working for the pharmaceutical and consumer goods giant for a decade when he took up gardening on one of its onsite plots — an employee perk — in the summer of 2019.

He planted half a dozen Carolina Reaper pepper plants and soon found himself awash in one of the world’s spiciest peppers.

He used them to make salsa with tomatoes and herbs from the company-sponsored community garden and shared it with coworkers.

The following year, he wanted to take up the same plot again, but due to the pandemic, he started growing peppers at his Philadelphia home.

This time he used them to make hot sauce, which resulted in him starting his own spicy brand that more than tripled its production in 2022.

This year, Fernandez is hoping to maintain that level of production, increase his wholesale, and later on, become “a staple item” in the region, he said.

His sauces currently can be found in several area shops, like the Head Nut in Ardmore, and kiosks at area farmers’ markets.

Read more about Faiya in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

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Faiya founder and brand steward Radhi Fernandez describes his product line.