In an exclusive interview with Indigenous-SME Business Magazine, Jordan Hocking, Founder of Sriracha Revolver Hot Sauce, shares how a personal passion for cooking evolved into a growing business rooted in connection, creativity, and culture. This conversation explores more than just entrepreneurship. Jordan Hocking reflects on identity, resilience, and the role of food as a way to bring people together and share stories.
Interview By Darian Kovacs
Jordan Hocking is a Plains Cree woman of Sweetgrass First Nation. Jordan and her family live in Vancouver, BC. Jordan is the founder and owner of Sriracha Revolver Hot Sauce, and the winner of the 2025 BC Food and Beverage Rise Award for Best Indigenous led Business. Jordan is currently an MBA candidate at the SFU Beedie School of Business, class of 2027. Jordan loves to cook and believes food is the best way to bring people together. Creating recipes, talking entrepreneurship and endless snacking are Jordan’s favourite pastimes.
You founded Sriracha Revolver in 2017 with the goal of creating a staple product that adds fun, flavour, and connection to everyday meals. What was the moment that turned making hot sauce for gifts at home into the decision to launch a full food business?
It took a very special set of circumstances to push me to move from hobbyist to entrepreneur. I was home with my young children and had found myself otherwise unemployed for the first time ever. Having two children under the age of three is more than a full time job already, but I still felt called to do more. I thought it would be a fun side project to call my own, even as in my mind I couldn’t help but dream big, the reality of my full, wonderful family life, kept me grounded in practical steps, and sustainable growth. I asked a lot of questions, took my time and connected with people who believed in me. My values of sharing, community connection and quality intentional food creation resonates with people. Tasty, spicy hot sauce does too.
Sriracha Revolver is an Indigenous, woman-owned company, and you’re a proud member of Sweetgrass First Nation of Plains Cree and Irish descent. How does your identity and lived experience shape the way you create recipes, build your brand, and choose who you partner with?
I have always loved to host and cook and share food with people. There is nothing better than seeing people enjoying food that I made myself. As the centre of my family, the firekeeper, I am the source of our nourishment, love and safety. I am not just nourishing our bodies, but creating with intention, in that good way. I am still hands on with every batch of hot sauce that I make, and I bring that same intention to my products. This is sacred hot sauce!
Your sauces are inspired by travel, creativity, and flavours you couldn’t find anywhere else—like Beets & Tequila or Jalapeño Ginger “poke bowl in sauce form.” Can you walk us through your creative process when you’re developing a new flavour from idea to bottle?
I am open to inspiration wherever it arises. I sometimes have ideas of something I want to see, and other times, I have been presented with an ingredient that is new to me and I build a flavour around it. I love to try new things, and often good food comes from a willingness to try anything. I have a core set of elements I have to see in each sauce, and I build flavour from there. I am inspired by the way Thai food has all the elements of sweet, savoury, umami, sour and spicy and I must hit each of those first.
You’ve spoken openly about navigating health challenges, motherhood, and the feeling of invisibility as an Indigenous woman in a male‑dominated industry. What have these experiences taught you about resilience, asking for help, and redefining success on your own terms?
That’s a big question. Being the only woman in a room, or often the only Indigenous person in the room is a very common reality for me. It can feel like a negative, but really my lived experience, my values, my perspective are unique to me. I can offer the room something no one else can. Whether or not the room is ready to hear it is another story. A lot of what I do is for my children. I want them to witness my leadership, my voice, and my drive. I want them to see that you can be an imperfect person, a life-long learner, a gentle voice, and a survivor full of determination all at the same time. I am proud of my work and resilience is built into my bones. My ancestors are the only reason I am here. Their survival, their dreams for their children, and their spirits are alive in me and speak through me in food and in life.
Sriracha Revolver now appears in retail shops, Indigenous marketplaces, and fundraising collaborations that support community. Looking ahead, what is your vision for the business over the next 5–10 years, and what advice would you share with emerging Indigenous food entrepreneurs?
I have been very lucky to step into being the person I wish I had been able to model as a new entrepreneur. My work started as something I was proud of and rooting for and over time, it has aligned more and more with my values and purpose to the point that I am ready to keep growing. I am feeling positive about the future role for Indigenous People in the food industry. I hope that I can use the skills and experience I have developed to bring more stories, more food and more voices along with me. I would encourage new Indigenous entrepreneurs to incorporate their values as guides when navigating the capitalist system. Yes, we need and deserve success in that system but we also need to be ourselves here. Fill your well and show up as your truest self and in that way we are changing the system to meet us where we are.
Disclaimer: Indigenous-SME Business Magazine is committed to providing insightful interviews that highlight the successes and challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses. The views expressed in this interview are those of the guest and may not reflect the opinions of the magazine or its affiliates.
