Spice up your life, Kootenay style

How a Moyie kitchen became the birthplace of Blazing Bills Fermented Hot Sauce

Blazing Bills sauces have earned their share of loyal followers in the Kootenays and beyond. — Photos courtesy of Blazing Bills Fermented Hot Sauce

In the Kootenays, passion often meets creativity in unexpected ways—and for Billi-Jo Conroy, it happened in her kitchen with a fermenting crock and a love for artisan hot sauces. What began as a personal experiment to save on shipping costs soon evolved into Blazing Bills Fermented Hot Sauce, a small but mighty business crafting sauces that balance heat, flavour, and local pride.

From her first Spicy Bill Pickle batch to award-winning sauces and a growing following across social media, Conroy has navigated the challenges of building a business while staying rooted in Moyie. With ingredients sourced locally, packaging crafted nearby, and flavours that spark conversation, Blazing Bills is a reflection of her commitment to customers and community. Here, she shares her journey, the inspiration behind her products, and her vision for the future of Blazing Bills.

How did Blazing Bills come to life, and what sparked the idea?

I was a stay-at-home mom who loved artisan hot sauces.

My husband thought I was paying a small fortune in shipping while ordering different hot sauces. We purchased a fermenting crock so I could experiment and make my own sauces from home.

My first batch of hot sauce was the Spicy Bill Pickle. Everyone who tried it, including myself, LOVED it. The response was, "you could sell that!"

Why did you choose to specialize in fermented hot sauces?

I love fermented foods, and after purchasing the fermenting crock, I found that when adding different ingredients to the ferments it created such delicious flavours (as well as heat). Fermentation adds a rich, unique flavour to the sauces and helps reducing the use of preservatives.

What goes into creating a new sauce flavour or seasonal release?

That's a hard one. For most of my recipes I think long and hard about what flavours and ingredients I want to use, as well as what foods the sauces would go with. Once I feel satisfied with the ingredients I'm using I just go for it in the hopes that the finished product will turn out as good as it sounds in my head! So far I've had great success in all my creations ranging from mild to spicy.

Do you have any unusual ingredients you love experimenting with?

I use all different peppers, herbs, spices and produce. But of course my favourite is the dill and the horseradish, not unusual ingredients, but not overly common in hot sauces.

What were some of the biggest challenges in launching your business?

Building my kitchen would have been one of the biggest challenges, but with the help of my friends, family and community it all came together. I would like to add that making hot sauce is the easy part, running the business has had its challenges and I'm constantly learning as I go.

What advice would you give someone starting a small food business?

I would recommend to never give up, get yourself out there, offer samples and when you start to get return customers keep them happy! Not everyone will love your product and that's just life, but the people who support you are ones who keep you motivated to keep going.

What has been your proudest moment as a business owner?

I went to a hot sauce Expo and entered a few Sauces and ended up winning 1st and second place!! That was a proud moment. But what also makes me proud is seeing the people who support me cheering me on as well as how proud my kids are to have "Blazing Bill" as their mom. My son will often tell people "my mom makes the best hot sauce," and that makes me proud.

How do you stay connected to the Kootenay community?

Most of my produce is sourced in the Kootenays, all my packaging and labels are made right here in the Kootenays.

I like to support local as I like locals to support me.

What’s your vision for the future of Blazing Bills?

I'm not sure what the future holds as I have learned that life can be incredibly unfair. But my vision is for Blazing Bills to become my full-time job. I love being a stay-at-home mom and Blazing Bills has already created that for me. My hopes are that I can maintian what I've built and continue to grow. Hopefully eventually to see my products in locals grocery stores and offered at local restaurants.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and my website, www.blazingbillshotsauce.ca!