PENDLETON – Haus Barhyte, a little mustard company that started by accident about 20 years ago, has turned into an industry hot dog.

The Pendleton business now makes about 25 different types of mustard, has nationwide distribution and is so prominent major companies – like Kroeger’s supermarket chain, Trader Joe’s, Beefeater Gin and Henry Weinhard’s – all have asked Haus Barhyte to create mustards for their labels.

When Jan and Susan Barhyte ran a deli in town in the late ’70s and early ’80s, they had quality meats and cheeses, but the mustard on the market couldn’t, well, cut the mustard.

“We wanted to put a good quality mustard on our sandwiches, too. So we made it,” Susan said.

It proved popular, and soon the couple sold their mustard in Styrofoam cups. When it kept selling, they moved to bottles and then started into the mustard business.

Haus Barhyte, which now employs 11 people, takes the mustard seed and creates its gourmet condiments on site.

The mustard smell at the plant is strong, but the Barhytes said they are immune to it now.

“We probably smell like this when we go out,” Susan said.

The company is a hit with critics’ tastebuds, too. In 2000, one of its mustards – Food and Wine’s Sweet Hot Beer Mustard – was named the grand champion of the Napa Valley Mustard Festival, generally regarded as the world’s premier mustard competition, Jan said.

Name of business: Haus Barhyte, Inc.

Owners: Jan and Susan Barhyte

Address : 912 Airport Road, Pendleton.

Phone number: 276-0259

Items offered: About 25 different types of mustard for its own four labels (Haus Barhyte, Food & Wine mustards, Willamette Valley Mustards, and Aviator Ale mustards), marinades and salad dressings.

Some mustards include: Champagne, beer and other alcohol, jalapeno, garlic and dill spiced varieties, some with fruit flavors, sweet and sour, horseradish and other types.

What’s next? “We’re working on some other products, like different flavored mayo products,” Jan said. “We’ve got some other things in the mill that we’re not ready to talk about yet.”

What mustard do people in Pendleton like? “They like the sweet mustard around here,” Jan said.

How much mustard is made at the plant? “Depending on the day, 1,000 to 1,800 cases. They’re 12-packs,” Jan said.

For more information, go to www.mustardpeople.com.