Mechanic who created beetroot based sauce business in home kitchen takes next steps with dedicated Elgin factory
The dad-of-three was first inspired after seeing Levi Roots making his mark with Reggae Reggae sauce on Dragons Den.
The condiment made out of spiced beetroot was originally created as a side hustle in 2018 but has since snowballed and rapidly grown.
The original sauce is already available in businesses locally and nationally.
Meanwhile, people from across the globe have also bought the product.
Now he is set to start production in his own factory in Elgin at Chanonry Spur.
The factory will have the ability to produce up to 500 bottles a day.
It will produce three products – the popular original sauce as well as a hot sauce and a spicy mayo.
He believes moving production in-house will help the business thrive.
Conor said: 'We started it as a little side hustle, thinking that if we could come up with a recipe, build a brand, and create something cool—but most importantly, something full of flavour—then we'd see where it could go.
'Our goal was to enter the Great Taste Awards, one of the biggest food awards in the world. If we won, we'd pursue it as a serious business.
'Then we won in 2019 and that's where it all began.'
Conor chose beetroot as the base for his business to standout from the crowd and make his product unique.
It came after he and wife Iona looked around supermarkets for market research.
And they spotted a gap in the condiments market, which is dominated by heavy hitters like Heinz and Hellmann's.
He added: 'When my wife and I would go shopping, instead of just looking at what was on the shelves to buy, we'd use it as market research to see what wasn't on the shelves.
'We noticed a gap with beetroot which offers far superior nutritional benefits than tomatoes and is a underused ingredient.
'Beetroot is cheap to grow, not overly complicated, and packed with antioxidants. It increases nitrate levels in the blood and has impressive health benefits, some of which haven't even been fully studied yet.
'One of my long-term goals is to invest profits from the business into researching beetroot's medicinal properties.
'My aim was to take beetroot from a niche product to something more mainstream and commercial.'
He says opening the Beet This Sauce factory in Elgin is important so they don't need to be overly dependent on outside firms.
Conor added: 'From a manufacturing perspective, that's very intentional.
'It makes things agile, cost-effective, and easier when it comes to sourcing ingredients.
'Quality is everything and by doing it ourselves in a factory, we're fully accountable.
'If something goes wrong, there's no-one to blame but us.
'It will now be achievable within a six to seven-hour shift to produce 500 bottles a day in the factory.
'We will start with six cases of six bottles to existing business contacts.'
He added: 'Taking this step has been a huge shift for me personally.
'I went from having my hands covered in oil to managing a food production business, something completely different.
'But it's that kind of transformation that shows the spirit behind this venture.
'We're launching through the factory with first the original sauce.
'Then we will release the hot sauce which we previously won an award for and next will be a spicy mayo.
'It is exciting, currently we have businesses from Orkney to all the way down to Milton Keynes who stock our product.'
Conor continues to balance running the Beet This Sauce business with running CS Autorepair in Elgin alongside his dad.
He says it has been tough juggling both companies, however he has remained determined to keep this dream alive.
He said: 'It's been the hardest challenge of my life — balancing a job, building a second business, and supporting a growing family.
'We've had three kids in the last six years — a six-year-old boy, a five-year-old, and an eight-month-old and moved house four times.
'Through this I have managed to keep this dream alive.'
Meanwhile, he revealed he faced struggles with alcohol and drugs during lockdown to cope with mental health struggles.
However, he believes overcoming this has drove him on.
Conor said: 'During Covid, I struggled badly and had issues with alcohol and drugs.
'These became coping mechanisms for deeper mental health problems.
'To see the business I had invested in being threatened by Covid was crushing.
'Then I managed to do a complete reset with the family and overcome it to get my life back on track.
'That struggle gave me the drive, the motivation, and the story that now helps me connect with others.'
Conor believes it is important to show youngsters that business success can happen in Moray.
Through DYW Moray, he does motivation talks at schools across the region.
He said: 'It is important to give back and show youngsters that you can be success in business in Moray.
'Maybe inspire people to go out and set up a business with something you are passionate about.
'I really enjoy doing the work with the schools and I never imagined I would be doing it.
'I also talk about mental health, hard work and second chances.'
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