Olivia and Chris Clouse of Pasco fell in love with Voodoo Signature Spices and Sauces when they got their first taste five years ago.

They were more than the average fans. First, they used the spices and sauces every day. 

Then, they bought the business.

After eight years in the Tri-Cities, the local business’s original owner, Ken Avery, decided to sell it in March. He had decided to move to Nampa, Idaho, and pursue new endeavors. 

But Olivia and Chris Clouse knew they couldn’t let the products they loved drop off the map – so they took a chance and took over the reins in mid-April. 

Getting up to speed

So far, the couple have been keeping things steady as they get up to speed on business operations.

“We’re not looking to change it, really. We’re just looking to make it better,” said Olivia Clouse. 

Avery’s recipes are still used, and his name is displayed on Voodoo’s labels. And the Clouses continue to rely on a packer in Tennessee to make the products, a place the original owner worked with once operations got too big for one person to manage. 

Once spices and sauces are shipped to them, they package them for the online store as well as take them to events throughout the region.

While the Clouses may be new to this business, they’re not necessarily new to business. Olivia Clouse has had a strong background in sales, selling everything from jewelry to makeup to nutritional supplements over the years. Her husband continues to work full time, leaving her to manage day-to-day operations.

She also homeschools their son, Tayven, who runs his own business, Mr. T’s Mysteries, with his mom. She said she wanted him to learn entrepreneurship as part of his homeschooling, and he pursued his interest in the outdoors by selling nature boxes. 

So far, the biggest learning curve has been figuring out the Voodoo online store and the various permits required to package and store their products, as well as to offer samples. 

“We’re trying to start off on the right foot,” said Chris Clouse.

Spices and sauces

Voodoo Signature Spices and Sauces offers seven different spices and rubs and four different sauces, from a mango habanero barbecue sauce to a sweet apple bourbon rub to Voodoo’s signature spice. Customers can get a variety of different gift boxes, too.

One element of Voodoo’s products that was important to the Clouses was that they’re healthy. While the sauces do use high fructose corn syrup – which Chris Clouse said was pretty much unavoidable – they don’t use dyes, and neither do the spices and rubs. 

While the Clouses aim to keep the recipes the same, they eventually want to introduce some new flavors. Since they don’t have backgrounds in cooking, the pair was thinking that local restaurant owners could help come up with new spices. 

The current sauces aren’t too spicy, but Chris Clouse said a hot sauce might be on the table later on.

Olivia Clouse is hoping to get family involved, too. “My mom, she loves to cook, so I’m hoping to get her to help us create a spice or a sauce, because she’s the type that just mixes things together,” she said.  

Around town 

While the spices can be purchased online, they are also found in stores throughout the area, and the Clouses are looking to spread Voodoo’s reach. Ranch and Home in Kennewick and Hermiston carry Voodoo’s products, as well as Knutzen’s Meats in Pasco. They’re having conversations with Yoke’s Fresh Markets and Chris Clouse said they envision branching out to Costco and other stores in the future. 

The spices and sauces are also used at some restaurants, like Players Sports Bar and Grill in Kennewick, which uses Voodoo’s Signature Spice in their French dip. 

The Clouses don’t plan on expanding into a storefront; they’d rather have their products stocked by wholesalers.

“Our goal is to hopefully be in every state,” Olivia Clouse said. 

One of the key parts of their business is hosting booths at various events and connecting with customers. Olivia Clouse said that giving out samples is a model they continue to follow, since it was what first introduced them to the sauces and spices. 

“Some people are running up to us, and, ‘I’m so excited that it’s back here,’ and then some people are like, ‘No,’ I think Voodoo kind of throws them off a little bit,” she said. “…So I try to make it fun.”

She’ll hand out Hawaiian leis to kids and Chris Clouse will talk to fellow veterans. And once prospective customers get a taste of what Voodoo has to offer, they won’t regret it, Olivia Clouse said.

“My favorite is when they try it and they go, ‘Mmm!’” she said.

 Voodoo Signature Spices and Sauces: doyouvoodoo.net.