JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – What do the jungle of Panama, two lifelong friends, the University of North Florida, Jacksonville Beach and hot sauce all have in common? Nothing really, but when you add them all up together, the result is a real benefit for service members and wounded warriors.
Being from military families, both Conan Herring and Thomas Ellis were raised in the Panama Canal Zone. They met as young boys and grew to become best friends as their parents served their country. When the pair finished high school, it was time to leave the jungle of Panama and head back to the states for college.
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Herring and Ellis picked Jacksonville, both enrolling at the University of North Florida. When they could, they'd travel back to Panama to visit family, and bring back bottles of unique Panama hot sauces to their friends here.
Because of the popularity of the sauces they'd bring back, after college, Herring and Ellis decided to hit the garage and see if they could mix up similar recipes of their own.
They did it, and gave their tasty locally made concoctions a name that symbolized their friendship growing up. Howler Monkeys are common in Panama, the perfect name for their company.
Howler Monkey Sauce, Inc. was born. It started off small as they sent care packages of their bottled hot sauce to friends serving active duty overseas.
"It started as a personal gift," Herring explained. "Then, I received a sincere thank you e-mail from Captain Allen Hill in Afghanistan. He told me how mealtime was the highlight of their days, and he was so grateful that our sauce gave him a break from the monotonous mess hall food. Our sauce. I was so humbled that something as simple as a hot sauce could make a soldier's day."
Bottled in St. Augustine and based out of Jacksonville Beach, word of mouth spread around the world, and more boxes of hot sauce were shipped out to service members in combat zones.
"We continued by asking friends to send any active duty military who would want a package our way, and now it's just part of our shipping plan," Ellis said. "From there, we wanted to contribute to a great cause close to home."
As their sauce company grew, U.S. Coast Guard veteran Lacey Hagler was brought into the Howler Monkey family to be the director of sales and marketing.
Hagler served with the Coast Guard in both Key West and Jacksonville. While stationed in the River City as a Marine Science Technician, she became one of the first volunteers at K9s For Warriors -- the local nonprofit that pairs wounded veterans with K9 companions.
Being on the Howler Monkey Sauce team, she brought the company she worked for and the charity she volunteered with together to further help those who have served and sacrificed.
"We've seen the big things [K9s For Warriors} do for our military heroes and rescue dogs, and we wanted to do whatever we could to help them continue," Ellis said.
This week, Howler Monkey Sauce, Inc. handed over a check to K9s For Warriors, donating 20 percent of their July profits to give a boost to the local charity that helps those who suffer from both physical and invisible wounds of war.
"The unfortunate, staggering fact is, every day at least 20 veterans returning from combat take their own lives," said Rory Diamond, executive director at K9s For Warriors. "The K9s For Warriors training program not only provides our soldiers with a life-saving gift, but it's also an opportunity for peer-to-peer support with other servicemen and women who suffer from similar issues."
Howler Monkey Sauce has recently helped another military charity, too. It was a sponsor of this year's Void's Chairty Golf Tournament "Let Freedom Swing," benefiting the nonprofit Combat 2 College.
Herring and Ellis are on a mission. They want to offer a product here that’s similar to a sauce from their childhood, continue to bring smiles to service members overseas, and then help warriors when they return home.
To learn more about Howler Monkey, Inc. and the sauces they offer, you can check out the company's website or Facebook Page.