Customer Spotlight: Painted Desert Hot Sauce
Painted Desert Hot Sauce Bottles With Bold Flavor and Clean, Durable Labels
Spice and hot sauce usually go hand in hand. But Trevor Stockman wanted sauces that deliver real flavor, not just heat, and still stay affordable.
So he made his own.
What started as a hobby turned into Painted Desert Hot Sauce, a North Carolina-based brand built on bold recipes and thoughtful ingredients. We print the custom labels that bring that same energy to the bottle, with color accuracy and durability that holds up from kitchen to shelf.
Here’s how he creates bold flavors with fiery branding to match.
Painted Desert uses their labels to highlight their bold sauce colors and Arizona-inspired branding.
Homegrown Origins
Growing up with a family of cooks and chefs in southern Arizona, Trevor had a natural passion for cooking from scratch. He began making his own hot sauce in 2024, after becoming frustrated with expensive brands.
At first it was just a hobby. Next thing he knew, all of his friends and coworkers wanted bottles of his homemade batches.
“It wasn't long before it consumed our entire kitchen, and my wife insisted I take the leap and make it a real business,” Trevor tells us. “We bought a mobile kitchen that is parked on our property, and I’ve now expanded to four flavors so far.”
How Is Painted Desert Hot Sauce Made?
Every batch uses fresh peppers that ferment for 10 days before being cooked with whole ingredients, then blended. No mash or extracts are used. Painted Desert Hot Sauce is also vegan and gluten-friendly, with no additives or seed oils.
Despite being mild, Painted Desert's Verde hot sauce is a big hit for its flavorful combination.
Hot Sauce That Brings More Than Just Heat
“Flavor As Bold As The Arizona Sun” is more than a tagline. Trevor’s goal is to make hot sauces that aren’t just your typical “insanely spicy” but have good flavors at affordable prices. Their milder Verde sauce is a fan favorite for its unique blend of jalapeños, lime, and cilantro. While their Heat Wave sauce brings the fire with habanero and orange.
No matter the flavor, every Painted Desert batch is cooked and bottled in their dedicated mobile kitchen. Trevor says he's committed to only using natural, whole ingredients and was able to meet the FDA’s shelf-stability pH criteria:
“The sauces have very bold colors, but that's all from the fermentation process with the peppers. We don't use any additives or coloring. I actually fought pretty hard with the FDA to not use any additives or preservatives. I didn't want to compromise the flavor I had developed."
On Partnering With Stomp
Painted Desert’s branding is a tribute to Arizona, so naturally their labels needed the same vibe. Trevor was initially going to DIY their bottle labels, but his wife insisted on a more professional look. They chose Stomp’s rectangle waterproof roll labels, printed with colorful designs to match the bold sauces:
“It makes a huge difference in making our bottles look shelf-worthy. You guys had really good turnaround times with all our orders. We've never been disappointed with any of the products we've ordered. I'm always happy when I can support other American-made businesses like mine.”
They’ve also promoted their brand with our fitted table covers. And when Painted Desert urgently needed gift boxes for an event, they used our custom stickers and rectangle paper roll boxes to transform plain boxes into pristine packaging.
Image Credit: Painted Desert Hot Sauce on Instagram
From Kitchen Curiosity to Award-Winning Hot Sauce
Painted Desert is already catching fire in North Carolina. Along with selling their hot sauce online, they’ve partnered with local farmers markets and businesses. They were also a proud 2025 Best Hot Sauce Winner at the Pinehurst Barbecue Festival. But Trevor continues to dream bold and big:
“I would really love to see our products on supermarket shelves or being used at food trucks and restaurants. I think a lot of hot sauce makers probably say this, but it would be really awesome to get featured on "Hot Ones" someday.”
We can’t wait to see what you cook up next, Trevor! Thank you for trusting us with Painted Desert’s hot sauce labels and branding.
Get your hot sauce bottles ready for shelves or online stores with Stomp’s custom printed labels. Or stick out at the next event with some fun custom stickers.
- Lisa Brown
