LB’s Chili Bar, owned by Loren Bass, is an online business that sells high quality, gourmet sweet and spicy chili and sauce delivered straight to the front door. Ms. Bass started making chili back in 2013 while in graduate school at Valdosta State University, but began the business back in 2019.
Launching her sweet and spicy chili in beef, ground turkey, and a vegan/vegetarian option, Ms. Bass was ready to hit the Chattanooga scene in 2020 when the pandemic halted all of her ambitious plans. She was able to do a lunch pop-up event at The Edney in January 2020 and amidst a spring launch she had to learn how to pivot to stay in business.
Meeting Mike at Proof Incubator, Ms. Bass was encouraged to create a sauce based on the flavors of her chili. That advice turned into a line of four premium flavors: original, vegan sweet heat, sweet n tangy, and honey hickory marinade. This pivot has enabled Ms. Bass to stay in business and begin to scale her products.
“Being flexible and not married to a specific idea really helped me keep my motivation and persistence strong allowing me to engage more with the community and learn,” said Ms. Bass.
LB’s Chili Bar launched a gift set in November 2020 featuring three of the sauces and sells it at the Brainerd Farmers Market on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church. Customers can also find her sauces at Elder’s Ace Hardware in East Brainerd and Dallas Bay/Hixson, Locals Only Northshore, select ChattTaste boxes, and temporarily at BeCaffeinated on W. Kent Street.
LB’s Chili Bar is available for event bookings as well as personal chili orders.
LB’s Chili Bar will be at BeCaffeinated hosting a brunch sauce sampling on W. Kent Street Saturday from 9-11 a.m., as well as at Elder’s Ace Hardware in East Brainerd on Sunday from 12-4 p.m. providing sauce samples to customers of the store.
Ms. Bass is a resident of the Launch Kitchen Incubator and is currently in the new cohort of the CoLab and Proof Incubator Consumer Goods Accelerator program. For more information or to place an order, visit www.lbschilibar.com. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram to learn about events to sample the sauces and chili.