California-based Frieda's Specialty Produce expects to have good supplies of ultra-hot ghost peppers this year, complemented by a range of chiles catering to interest in both taste and spice. 

CEO Karen Caplan tells www.freshfruitportal.com there is a fascination with flavor in the category, which has changed greatly since the company introduced Habanero peppers in the 80s.

"It was the first product that we ever introduced that took off immediately," she says.

But the Habanero was just the tip of the iceberg, according to Caplan. Nowadays there are many mainstream varieties like Jalapeño, Serrano, Poblano and Thai peppers, as well as the very hot Ghost, Trinidad Scorpion and Carolina Reaper peppers.

"You see on Youtube the videos of people being dared to try a ghost pepper, a Trinidad scorpion and a Carolina reaper. They take a bite, double over with pain...they're sweating," she says.

"It’s almost like the whole daring aspect of how hot can you stand it, it really has got people excited.

"And you combine that with the fact that there is this ever-growing intrigue and interest in ethnic food, so foods from Latin America and Asia, many of which whom have very spicy peppers used as a flavoring," she says, joking that these factors add "fuel to the fire".

She says the company has had fun with ghost peppers in the past with "spooky foods" promotions during Halloween festivities, but the increased publicity for very spicy peppers in foodservice was helping sales at retail.

"Basically, we have to tell them we’ve got ghost peppers and then everybody goes crazy," she says.

"There was a fast food chain here in California, Taco Bell, which did a promotion with ghost peppers and Habanero sauces on a new menu item they launched a year ago, called the DareDevil Loaded Grillers

"You’ve got this foodservice arena where consumers might go out to eat, hear a little publicity about it, and then they go in and try it. Then they go home and say ‘I wanna try that at home’, which sends them off to the supermarket."

Fast food chain Wendy's is also offering its super spicy menu again for a second year in a row, topping its chicken sandwich and fries with ultra-hot ghost pepper sauce.

In terms of Frieda's Specialty Produce, the company sources its ghost peppers are sourced both domestically and from the Netherlands.

When asked whether these ultra-hot varieties could cannibalizing existing varieties, Caplan doesn't think so.

"It's because the main high-volume varieties are the Jalapeño pepper, Poblano pepper and Serrano pepper, and they have completely different taste profiles; they're used differently, not quite as sparingly, as the hot ones."

According to the trend-tracker NPD Group, hot sauce sales increased 150 percent from 2000 to 2013 alone, and more than half of the nation’s households have hot sauce in their pantries. Fast food chain Wendy’s is offering its

Frieda's recommends grouping all the hot peppers together in displays, next to bell peppers, along with secondary displays with other ingredients to inspire authentic dishes.

For example, retailers could pair Habanero peppers with tomatillos, tomatoes, and onions for Latin dishes, or Thai peppers with lemongrass, ginger, and turmeric for Asian dishes.

Also, it is advised that retailers include signage with recipe suggestions, and "caution" for the ultra-hot varieties.

www.freshfruitportal.com