I’m celebrating Women’s History Month with a few of my favorite hot sauces owned or co-owned by women. The hot sauce industry is pretty much dominated by men but women are showing up and showing out their love and passion for spicy foods and sauces. This isn’t an all-inclusive list but this is my top 5 woman owned hot sauce brands.
Women Owned Hot Sauce Brands
Over the years I’ve tried dozens if not 100+ hot sauces and love how more women are entering this market. I was actually surprised how little women are represented in this category. There are plenty of large producers like McIlhenny, McCormick, and Kraft with women in leadership positions but for small makers, men generally dominate the category. With the hot sauce industry growing 3.9% per year on average and a market to reach $3.77 billion by 2026, there’s room for everyone. This isn’t to say that any one group makes better sauces than others. However, if you’re passionate about spicy foods and thinking about making your own hot sauce, now is the time to do it. The list below is to celebrate those women making amazing sauces and to inspire others to follow their dreams. Who knows, I may one day drop a Hot Stuff bottle but for the moment I will get my heat from these amazing women business owners.
1. Yellowbird Hot Sauce
Let me introduce you to a fantastic brand that’s challenging the norms and making organic, non-GMO and fair-trade sauces you’ll truly fall in love with. Fresh peppers, garlicy flavors and good for you clean ingredients make this a top 5 hot sauce. Co-founded and co-owned by Erin Link out of Austin, TX, Yellowbird makes sauces with easily approachable heat – even their Guava Reaper hot sauce doesn’t blow your head off like most Carolina Reaper hot sauces. Yellowbird has been featured on Hot Ones and also in our Asian themed Hot Stuff Subscription box this past February.
2. Queen Majesty Hot Sauces
I featured Queen Majesty’s Scotch Bonnet hot sauce in my Hot Stuff subscription boxes over a year ago and had to include them again in last December’s box. Owned and founded by Erica Diehl out of NYC, this hot sauce maker is offering a few amazing sauces using clean, non-gmo, gluten free ingredients, and fiery peppers with a huge punch. Grab the Tequila Lime sauce for your tacos, the Red Habanero & Black Coffee for your chicken, the Scotch Bonnet & Ginger for your Asian dishes then rotate because they all work for a variety of dishes.
3. La Casita Hot Sauce
This award winning Texas style “hot sauce” is a homemade salsa recipe handed down family generations to Latina owner Veronica Westlake. While many may say well this isn’t technically a hot sauce but apparently in Texas, all salsas are hot sauces. I learn something new every day! La Casita Extra Hot salsa is everything! It’s on the thinner side of salsas with bits of tomatoes, peppers and those amazing Mexican flavors we all love so much. Great for dipping your favorite chips, over baked chicken with cheese and perfect for huevos rancheros. This sauce is very spicy and contains no artificial ingredients – I also love that it’s low in sodium.
4. Hot N Saucy Hot Sauce
Based in Brooklyn, NY, Chef Sam Davis-Allonces’ small batch Hot N Saucy brand is dropping flavor bombs. Have you seen the collection? I can’t wait to try them all! Their flavors are unconventional and needed in this industry. Flavors like Sweet Potato and Habanero, Collards and Ghost, and Beets and Fresno showcase soul food favorites with kicked up heat. The collard greens and ghost pepper sauce is hot but not overwhelmingly spicy that is typical of ghost pepper sauces. You should definitely make a little space in your pantry for these all natural, delicious, vegetable based sauces.
5. Grandma Trini Pepper Sauce
I recently tried this woman owned hot sauce and had to share it with you all. This is your put on everything hot sauce for me because it doesn’t have a strong vinegar flavor. Grandma Trini Pepper Sauce will work on all kinds of meats, pizza and tomato based dishes and being a West Indian Trinidadian style pepper sauce, it packs some serious heat! Made with clean, non-GMO ingredients, gluten free and no artificial stuff, this hot sauce is a keeper. Co-founded by husband and wife team Iman and Ryan, Grandma Trini is black owned and based in New Jersey.
Have you tried any of these hot sauces, which is your favorite? Have one you’d like to add to the list? Drop info in the comments.
