The Economics of Everyday Things
31. Superhot Chili Peppers
Jan 8, 2024
The founder of the PuckerButt Pepper Company discusses creating the world's hottest chili pepper and the pain of tasting it. The podcast explores the journey of the guest with chili peppers, accidental breeding of the Carolina Reber pepper, the business of hot sauce making, and the aftermath of eating super-hot peppers.
16:27
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Quick takeaways
- The market for super-hot chili peppers has expanded beyond chili heads, with the hot sauce industry becoming a major buyer.
- Ed Curry faced challenges with theft and unauthorized use of his spicy pepper creations, leading him to go through the patenting process to protect his new pepper, Pepper X.
Deep dives
The journey of heat: From agony to business opportunity
Ed Curry's passion for spicy chili peppers started after experiencing the rush from eating incredibly spicy food. This led him on a journey of crossbreeding peppers and eventually creating Pepper X, the hottest chili pepper in the world. Heat in peppers comes from capsaicin, a chemical stored in the placenta. The popularity of super-hot peppers grew, with names like Ghost Pepper and Carolina Reaper setting new records. The market for hot peppers expanded beyond just chili heads, with the hot sauce industry becoming a major buyer. Curry's company, Pucker Butt Pepper Company, sells mash wholesale and has its own line of hot sauces. Curry now runs a large pepper farm and brings in over $5 million in sales a year.
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