You MUST have an extreme sauce...

The Hot Pepper

The Hot Pepper

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If you are a hot sauce company, in my opinion, you MUST have an extreme sauce if you want to be talked about and frequented by chiliheads. This could be the key to your success. You may have some great flavorful, somewhat hot sauces, but chiliheads are likely to skip your product line entirely. Usually they will try the extreme sauce, and then look at what else you have to offer. If you are a small company that offers great flavorful sauces, and are wondering why they are not selling, try adding an extreme sauce, and let the chilihead community know about it. This is just my opinion! I am an observer, not a professional sauce maker.
 
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[quote name='Cap'n Bones']Some see Blair's collectibles as "overinflated", some see these works from Blair a total bargain considering the time and effort that goes into these bottles. These are indeed true "extreme" sauces created for a niche market, and when you take into account that he produced only 500 of the Firecracker 500's at $100.00 a pop, that's $50,000.00 for 500 bottles of sauce, so I really don't think that the niche market sould be so underestimated. Blair sells 1,000's of cases of his sauce's to the world, and still finds the time to cater to the niche market that got him where he is today.
Did the niche market of extreme hot sauces begin before or after the sudden increase of fiery foods that you now find in the common grocery stores? Sauces have been around for decades and we are blessed to live in a time where a small group of focused manufacturers are breaking new ground with intense heat, as well as creating flavorful sauces.[/QUOTE]

As I said - okay for him, but not my idea of how to approach a the market as a new manufacturer. If that run is so great why did he just announce that he isn't going to do it next year because of the excess numbers of hours it take to build them? But, the real bottom line is that he identified his niche and went after it with a coordinated marketing program - exactly as I proposed. It worked for him. However, there are other niches and other methods of marketing that I believe will eventually lead to a larger market share, and in my world market share rules! That's just my personal opinion, of course. - E.Z.
 
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Well...how's a guy to market a quality product with quality (or organic) ingredients when everyone else seems to do the same?

What's to set me apart from..say...I dunno, Chuck Hell down the line if/when we get going? I mean, really?

Why do people buy French's Mustard as opposed to another brand? They have the same ingredients. They're both yellow and go good on a ham sandwich.
 
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DevilDuck said:
Well...how's a guy to market a quality product with quality (or organic) ingredients when everyone else seems to do the same?

What's to set me apart from..say...I dunno, Chuck Hell down the line if/when we get going? I mean, really?

Why do people buy French's Mustard as opposed to another brand? They have the same ingredients. They're both yellow and go good on a ham sandwich.
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In any competative market that will always be the challenge, DD. It starts with quality (from my personal perspective), but then the marketing program has to be well conceived, well integrated toward the target market niche (ie: chili-heads or cap-philes?), and then cleverly implimented. Of course, being well financed doesn't hurt either, if possible. The product promotion should support the product advertising and visa versa. Finally, plan to work damn hard, but it helps to be just plain lucky at times too!! - E.Z.
 
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Luck is part of the business too. Flavorful sauces i think is the key, heat..yes, although per my personal experience, mild sauces with little heat they sell real well. The future...will see where it will take us.
 
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Since the topic of this thread is about Extreme sauces, the mention of Blair's collectibles fits right in. These little bottles are his unique way of setting himself apart from the rest of the gang, and Blair's sauces have received worldwide attention through The History channel, Food Network, and the Gunniess Book of world records, just to name a few. So I guess that it's safe to say that there is plenty of room for the "extreme" in this crazy biz that we call the Fiery Foods industry. He made a choice to be different than the mainstream, and it has paid off for him. Not everyone is into the extreme sauce and that's all well too.

BTW, it's none of my business why Blair is taking a break from the making of his reserve's, but we can rest assured that he will produce more in the future. I'll bet money that his little siesta from making these will increase demand, help raise the value on past reserve's, and bring higher profits to the future releases, not to mention more exposure to his regular line.
 
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[quote name='Cap'n Bones']Since the topic of this thread is about Extreme sauces, the mention of Blair's collectibles fits right in. These little bottles are his unique way of setting himself apart from the rest of the gang, and Blair's sauces have received worldwide attention through The History channel, Food Network, and the Gunniess Book of world records, just to name a few. So I guess that it's safe to say that there is plenty of room for the "extreme" in this crazy biz that we call the Fiery Foods industry. He made a choice to be different than the mainstream, and it has paid off for him. Not everyone is into the extreme sauce and that's all well too.

BTW, it's none of my business why Blair is taking a break from the making of his reserve's, but we can rest assured that he will produce more in the future. I'll bet money that his little siesta from making these will increase demand, help raise the value on past reserve's, and bring higher profits to the future releases, not to mention more exposure to his regular line.[/QUOTE]

Ah - I like the way you think Cap'n, but you mistate the intent of your thread. It says you "must" have an extreme. I personally agree with what Marcos just posted. You don't necessarily have to have an extreme unless your primary market is selling to "chili-philes", my term for consumers addicted to extracts. I am having a tremendous response to the balance of flavor and high heat in Blazin'-Hot Sauce without pushing it into the "extreme" level. I feel I am able to reach down the consumer pyramid therefore and tap into a much larger, broader consumer base - if I choose to do so. From long experience I know my success would be determined by the skill I utilized in pursueing the marketing campaign at this point. - E.Z.

PS: It's been a fun exchange of ideas, but I'm out of here now for Stirling's year-end meetings in Reno for a few days. Bye.
 
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E.Z. Earl said:
Ah - I like the way you think Cap'n, but you mistate the intent of your thread. It says you "must" have an extreme. I personally agree with what Marcos just posted. You don't necessarily have to have an extreme unless your primary market is selling to "chili-philes", my term for consumers addicted to extracts. I am having a tremendous response to the balance of flavor and high heat in Blazin'-Hot Sauce without pushing it into the "extreme" level. I feel I am able to reach down the consumer pyramid therefore and tap into a much larger, broader consumer base - if I choose to do so. From long experience I know my success would be determined the skill utilized in pursueing the marketing campaign at this point. - E.Z.

PS: It's been a fun exchange of ideas, but I'm out of here now for Stirling's year-end meetings in Reno for a few days. Bye.
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I agree with Marco as well, and most of the comments that have been posted here on this topic for that matter. Including your's EZ! :) When I read the original post by the Admin, I'm understanding it as a comment that directly implies that in order to penetrate the serious heat seeker market, then you must have a sauce that will be mind blowing hot, while having a desirable taste as well that will keep 'em coming back for more. I agree that the administrators use of the word "must", most likely doesn't apply the larger scale companies such as Tabasco and that lot of corporates. Although seeing these BIG guys that are now producing the Fiery Hab Dorito's and Tabasco producing, (or attempting to produce), hotter products, leads me to believe that they are recognizing the need for more heat among consumers. The small niche market of chileheads that frequent this forum have already figured this need out long ago. I think it's more of an addiction to Capsaicin, more so than just any particular extract. In general I think people are desiring more heat with the flavor..I enjoy all of the different points of view on this topic, because it goes to show that this HP group all have the potential to enter and prosper in the market with thier own unique ideas and products at many different levels. This is just my opinion, and I'm sure that in some way or another my opinion may change as my understanding of this market changes, however the fact that this fiery market is growing rapidly has me excited to see what the future holds for us ALL. I'm happy to be associated with such a dedicated bunch of folks that are as passionate as I am about this sort of stuff. Sorry to be so long winded!
 
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marcosauces said:
Thats ok Cap'n, if we all had the same ideas, the sauce market would be boring :)
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Agreed. Perhaps these types of discussions and opinions allow for such an eclectic mix of different types of products that are now available, and weren't 5 years ago. As I have stated before, we have an extreme sauce because there are many individuals who want seriosuly HOT wings. Hell, we, under pressure from many customers, seriously increased the hotness of our Defense Condition #1, AND doubled the size, and have received a ton of positive response. If we didn't have an "extreme" sauce, I think it would put us at a disadvantage, especially in the wing market. Besides, our "extreme" sauce brought us a Golden Chile this year as well, so perhaps my personal thoughts on this aren't so off the mark.

Extreme sauces of course are not for just anyone, but I feel there should be a choice. If people really enjoy a certain manufacturers products, the more of a selection not only appeases them and allows them to explore different ranges of heat, it allows the manufacturer the ability to explore more markets than if they didn't offer an "extreme" version. We are on the verge of releasing our Habanero Horseradish (The Habby Horse), and are already working on a more insanely hot version of it, just for this reason.

Opinions, for what they are worth are just that, and I think it gives others ideas as to where they should direct their energy towards expanding their own exposure, and gives more of a wide-open approach in a marketing direction.
 
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Same here creator, lots of people are pressuring us to release hotter sauce and the red savina salsa. And yes we have to do it, because it will definitely widen our markets.
Got to love it being a saucemaker..:)
 
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kato said:
The source ( 7 million Scovilles) they were trying to get volunteers to try it and take your pic for an ad they had no takers. They even tried to recruit vendors still no takers.
Mick
Kato's
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I'd do it. Then bitch about it for weeks.
 
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Hi - I'm back.

Man, I see the debating rolled on just fine without me while I was gone. I need to catch up.

First, Cap,n, don't appologize for being long winded. It is a pleasure to get away from the clever little sound bites once in a while to share some serious thoughts (including differences of opinions) with others who are equallky passionate about their beliefs. A solid expression of opinion can't be delivered as a 1-liner.

Regarding DEFCON's comment about receiving requests to move into the even more extreme levels of heat, I believe that is a self-fulling prophicy. If a maker develops a product that is in the extreme range, then markets it to extreme chili-philes, it is only to be expected there will be requests for even more extreme heat. I guess I would make my point by saying that I focus on flavor 1st with 2 levels of heat - Hot & Extra Hot. I show at mainstream food shows, not the fiery food shows, and I promote them to chiliheads who are more moderate in their desire for pure heat. The result? - I am now fielding more requests from consumers who love the flavor but want a reduced heat level - "Spicy-Hot Stuff". BTW, that product is in the bottle and has been since I started. It will eventually be introduced to spearhead the expansion of my "vertical market penetration" into a market share expansion called "horizontal market penetration" In my case a self-fulfilling, self-directed, prophacy! - E.Z.
 
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When I posted this, I was really just trying to get a good conversation going. Would I make an extreme sauce if I went commercial? Who knows? There is a demographic that buys extreme things, it's males 15-30. The same males that buy eXtreme labeled deodorant and drink Mountain Dew because they see people drinking it as they jump off cliffs, lol. Is "extreme" gimmicky? Of course it is. I'm actually not talking about the gimmicky "extreme", but a quality, super hot product that will satisfy super heat seekers. Let me ask you this. How may times have you bought a hot sauce with an intense label and fiery name and thought it was not hot enough. Seriously! A lot, I bet! If you have one that satisfies in your arsenal, they'll pick it. If you don't, they'll move on. That's all I'm saying. Heat matters!
 
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thehotpepper.com said:
When I posted this, I was really just trying to get a good conversation going. Would I make an extreme sauce if I went commercial? Who knows? There is a demographic that buys extreme things, it's males 15-30. The same males that buy eXtreme labeled deodorant and drink Mountain Dew because they see people drinking it as they jump off cliffs, lol. Is "extreme" gimmicky? Of course it is. I'm actually not talking about the gimmicky "extreme", but a quality, super hot product that will satisfy super heat seekers. Let me ask you this. How may times have you bought a hot sauce with an intense label and fiery name and thought it was not hot enough. Seriously! A lot, I bet! If you have one that satisfies in your arsenal, they'll pick it. If you don't, they'll move on. That's all I'm saying. Heat matters!
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I could hear you chuckling in the background as your thread rolled on, and I love it!! Right - heat matters to a degree, or as my marketing tag line states: "Heat is neat BUT savor the flavor!" A gourmet quality flavor always has to lead the way in my food businesses. Heat can never be the lead Husky on the team, and, of course, I always know where I want the sled to go. That's my job. - E.Z.
 
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And when you have an extreme product WITH flavor to back it up, well, you've have a product that will satisfy most. If it doesn't have flavor, you'll sell 1 bottle to 1 person, and that's it. Considering our extreme #1 is quickly catching up in repeat sales with the rest of the line, I think we've done something rather well here. Our line of products is kind of a niche market, and started off as just a wing sauce. People expect wings to pack some heat, as is witnessed at nearly every restaurant that serves them. However, people now use our stuff on virtually everything, from asparagus to popcorn, which isa something I never thought would happen. At all the events we do, it's a Hell of a lot of fun watching people devour the #1 wings, and then take a few bottles home with them for their friends, whilst dripping sweat off their brow, and adorning their cheeks with the red racing stripes, and the occasional hiccup.

The same is with our next product, the Habby Horse. People expect horseradish to take their breath away for a short time, which I of course don't mind helping them do. The dropkick to the back of the throat with capsaicin is just an added bonus. We're already working on a "hot" version of the horseradish. My wife won't even enter the room without a respirator when I'm playing around with that stuff, LOL!

These "chili-philes" as was mentioned are a larger group than I ever expected. Yeah, we sell a ton of the milds and mediums, but more and more of our customer base are taking that leap of faith to the next level. Many customer mix and match our stuff, so as to bring the level of heat to exactly their liking, which is kind of unique in this market.

The Defcon Days we do have brought us an amazing amount of exposure. Not to just those who attend, but to their friends and family. Chile-philes are growing in number, and I truly expect this growth to maintain for the foreseeable future.
 
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Hey E. Z.

It sounds like you have your marketing act together. I would sure like to know how you got in the Taiwan market????

My Blue's Carolina Pepper Sauce is in approximately 90 markets including 29 high end grocers. I've got to tell you, the sauce does not sell well in the grocers. They won't build a display and promote it and the consumer won't pickup a new product without sampling it first. You can do demos in the stores, but it ends up costing you money to sell your product.

My profitability comes from gallons to restaurants. Not great money but very consistant and it keeps me in the black.

My web sales are slow because most folks won't pay 6 bucks for shipping and I can't blaim them. I do sell a lot of cases to big sauce companies like Peppers and Insane Chicken. You are on the money as far as selling quantity. If I can ever sell pallets, I'll make serious money. Selling single bottles or just cases takes time and Fedex makes all the money.

My products are not very hot and that's what I am after. Once a customer tries my sauces, 90% of them become repeat buyers. The big quetion is how do you get the world to try your product?????

Blue's
www.bluesbbq.net
 
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