1. Hot Crispy Oil
Capital Region native John Trimble says he started Hot Crispy Oil in an effort to not lose his mind. After his father passed away, Trimble moved back to the 518 to help his mother and manage the family restaurant, La Serre, in Albany. Then, COVID-19 hit, the restaurant closed, and he found himself trapped inside with his children. He started tinkering around in the kitchen and came up with a concoction whose popularity spread like word-of-mouth wildfire. Hot Crispy Oil now has a national fanbase and sells everything from the signature oil itself to aioli, hot sauce, and seasoning. With an ever-growing demand, Trimble recently purchased a warehouse on Thatcher Street to keep the products stocked and people happy.
2. Bilinski’s Sausage
Looking for a better life in America, Joseph Bilinski left his home country of Ukraine in the early 1900s and landed in Cohoes. For work, he decided to use his Old-World knowledge to create sausage similar to what he enjoyed back home, and founded Bilinski’s Sausage in 1929. The company stayed in the family until 1983, when it was sold and expanded to a national brand. Today, Bilinski’s Sausage is known for its clean ingredients and humane sourcing, only partnering with farmers who raise antibiotic- and hormone-free chickens that are free to roam and grow at a natural pace. Though Bilinski’s sausages can be bought all across the country, manufacturing continues to take place at the company’s only manufacturing facility in Cohoes.
3. Death Wish Coffee
What began as a basement project at Saratoga Coffee Traders (RIP) in 2012 has become a national brand known for its bold, smooth, highly caffeinated coffee. Death Wish Coffee started out small but reached a national audience when it won a 30-second ad slot during Super Bowl 50 in 2016. Now, it uses a combination of potent USDA Organic and Fair-Trade Certified beans to create different roasts (light, medium, dark, and espresso) in different forms (bagged, single-serve pods, espresso capsules, and instant) and flavors (vanilla, chocolate hazelnut, blueberry, and more). Its latest addition is a line of canned lattes that, just like all the brand’s products, uses clean ingredients and keeps the environment and coffee farmers in mind.
4. Saratoga Spring Water
Does water have a taste? According to Saratoga Water, of course it does—and also a flavor profile, mouthfeel, and TDS level. The luxury water brand formerly known as “Saratoga Vichy” was formed in Saratoga Springs in 1872 and now has a wide fanbase across the country. Though the company had a viral moment online this past spring (Google “Ashton Hall GRWM videos”), the brand was thriving long before that. Saratoga Water is the official water of Bravo’s Top Chef, and regularly brings together high-profile guests to dine at Michelin-starred restaurants via its Supper Club.
5. MyBacon
Who knew that fungi could be used to create foam, leather, insulation, and…bacon? RPI grads Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre—founders of Green Island company Ecovative, a pioneer in the field of mycelium innovation—sure did. In 2020, the Evocative team began farming mycelium to create meaty-yet-meatless slabs that were eerily similar to bacon. The breakthrough prompted Bayer to form MyForest Foods, a spinoff of Evocative, and offer the bacon alternative as its flagship product. Now, MyBacon has a hold on the plant-based industry for its near-identical taste and texture to the real deal while being both vegan and free of gluten and soy.
