Our Story and Our Community

Secret Aardvark Trading Co. was founded in 2004 by creative and culinary genius Scott Moritz. His love of travel, surfing, making music and telling stories was matched only by his passion for discovering the flavors of the world. We began hawking sauce at Portland farmers markets and now we’re in over 1,000 (and counting) roadhouses, eateries, and groceries from here to New York City, proudly gracing tables where the food matters, but the décor may not.

Scott’s life in food began when he entered a chili cook-off at age thirteen. He went on to start a pie company, several catering businesses, a tamale cart, and was a co-founder of Portland’s own Salvador Molly’s. Friends and family always coveted a spot at Scott’s table, where you never knew what delicious and unforgettable dishes (and tales) would emerge from the kitchen.

The path to where we are now wasn’t a clear cut one by any means. It started with a flavor savant and a project. And that project was honestly just meant to occupy his time to stay out of trouble with his wife Stacy. But it eventually out grew farmers markets to the brand you find today in stores across the country.

Scott’s adventures ended far too soon when we lost him to pancreatic cancer in 2009. His passing left us to carry forward his dream of sharing his unique, flavorful, and affordable sauces with the world. And we are proud to do so. Scott’s legacy lives on in Secret Aardvark as we continue to be just as fun, quirky and irreverent to the status quo as he would have wanted us to be.

Now headed by our (sometimes) fearless leader Stacy, we’re continuing to push flavor boundaries. With a background in the healthcare field, Stacy never thought she’d become an entrepreneur, but her love for taking care of her people and doing things a little differently quickly became her calling. That includes finding inspiration in the most unexpected places – like coffee, hot peppers and Luxardo cherries in Vegas.

While we call Portland home, our sauces have been inspired by all corners of the globe, to bring the best and richest ingredients together in our recipes. Even while we’re trotting around the world for curious flavors to put a twist on a classic, we never forget our roots. That means giving back 3% of net profits to local charities. That means staying active in our local music scene. That means choosing plastic containers that are produced just 200 miles away instead of glass containers overseas because that reduces our carbon footprint. As we grow, we’ll always continue to ask ourselves how we can continue to push the boundaries of our sauces and marinades, and do our part to make the world a little better and happier.

 -The Secret Aardvark Team,

Your perfect partner in crime for that finely crafted moxie you can use time and again.