Tyler Worthey’s journey from a high school freshman with a passion for agriculture to a successful entrepreneur showcases the power of the National FFA Organization’s hands-on learning approach. Since 2021, Worthey has steadily built Worthey Peppers, a gourmet hot sauce business that has grown from a small idea into a flourishing venture.
“This organization provides an amazing support system,” Worthey says. “There’s such a positive environment when you’re in FFA.”
Whether you realize it or not, an SAE could lay the foundation for a future career related to agriculture. After you explore Worthey’s experiences, watch and learn about these FFA alums who carved their career paths thanks to interests and experiences related to their SAEs.
Worthey joined FFA during his freshman year at Neoga High School in Neoga, Ill. As part of their membership, everyone in the Neoga FFA Chapter, including Worthey, was required to start an SAE.
Each FFA member is responsible for managing all aspects of their SAE, including budgeting, preparing financial statements and taking inventory. These experiential learning projects are designed to be student-led and work-based. They also aim to provide hands-on experiences and help develop competencies for careers in agriculture and natural resources.
Worthey channeled his entrepreneurial spirit into his SAE by focusing on growing peppers.
His interest in spicy peppers — sparked by watching the YouTube video series Hot Ones — inspired him to use the peppers from his SAE to start his own hot sauce business. By early 2021, Worthey Peppers was born. “I have entrepreneurship in my blood,” Worthey says.
With support from Cody Carman, his FFA advisor in 2022, and access to the FFA greenhouse, Worthey grew 80 pepper plants, featuring about 40 different varieties. By 2023, a family friend with a flower shop and greenhouse helped him start even more plants, leading to a garden of more than 100 pepper plants.
While testing his hot sauce recipes, Worthey received valuable feedback from his classmates and Carman, which helped refine his flavors.
“We were having hot sauce tasting breaks in class at least once or twice a week,” Worthey says.
By mid-2023, Worthey sold his first products at the Charleston Farmers Market. Now, he travels with his mother (pictured above) across Illinois, sharing their creations with spice enthusiasts.
Worthey currently operates as a cottage food producer in Cumberland County, meaning he prepares food items inside his home. He hopes to commercially scale his business in the future.
Worthey attributes much of his success to asking questions as he developed his SAE. “When you ask questions, things start to get easier,” he says.
In addition to receiving an SAE Grant sponsored by Bob Evans in 2023, Worthey is a two-time Illinois FFA state proficiency award winner. He also earned a silver rating in the 2023 national FFA judging process.
Now a student at Eastern Illinois University, where he studies digital media and entrepreneurship, Worthey balances academics with growing his business. Today, Worthey Peppers offers a wide range of products, including hot sauces, spicy jellies, jams, salsas, BBQ sauces, hot maple syrup and hot honey.
“FFA allows people like me to find my passion,” Worthey says. “My sense of self has changed dramatically over the years, and FFA has played a huge role in that transformation.”
