Consumer Survey:
What Are They Really Looking
For In A Hot Sauce?

by Judith Stone

Ahh..hot sauces. The life-blood of our industry. In the short two years we have been in business, it is astounding to see the number of new products being introduced on the market. With so many choices, the most prevalent questions are: "What should I stock in my store?" and "What should be the next addition to our line of sauces?" I, too, wanted to know what consumers are looking for, so I did a survey. Over one hundred people responded and the results are here to help all of us.

The industry is moving towards an upscale market. A resounding 100 percent of the survey respondents listed flavor and ingredients as their top criteria for purchasing hot sauces. "Taste is the number one issue. Why consume it if it doesn't taste good?" said Jody Baze from Albuquerque, New Mexico. In fact, as manufacturers increase their flavor profiles, they are expanding their audience. In this industry that has been traditionally composed of men, a surprising 40 percent of the respondents were women, who seem to prefer sauces that enhance cooking. The thought that came through was: "What foods will this new sauce match best?" For example, a fragrant fruit sauce with habaneros might be perfect for grilled fish or other seafood, while a thicker, richer sauce might be used for a marinade.

In general, sauces with interesting flavors and unusual ingredients seem to be more popular right now--most of the respondents did not particularly like sauces that listed vinegar as the main ingredient. In fact, a large number of the respondents, such as Lorraine Heidecker, preferred fruit-based sauces. "I will buy a new hot sauce if it contains some sort of fruit (mangoes, pineapple, tamarind, peaches,) etc," she said. Chunky vegetables and identifiable peppers were also big plus. John Fentzer, Jr. from Unionville, Connecticut responded: "I buy based on the ingredient list, color and consistency. In general, I avoid any sauces that are weird colored, list generic 'hot peppers,' have ingredient separation, or are watery."

The second consideration was heat level. Even though most respondents still prefer habanero peppers, the majority of them also want a less intense hot sauce. "I'd rather have a sauce that engages my palate than sears my tastebuds," said Jonathan Smilie from England. And, as Luke from New South Wales, Australia, responded, "Heat is only important as long as there is a balance with flavor. If it's got fruit, make sure the fruit flavor is there. Don't try to make a sauce that will strip the chrome from a '63 Caddy when something that just melts plastic will do the job and sell about ten times easier."

But don't be alarmed--heat is not losing popularity. It's just that people want more control over how much, and want to be able to enhance any flavor blend. The common thread throughout the survey was the idea that heat can always be added. Forty percent of the respondents said that they add habanero powder or other pepper products to boost the heat of tasty, less spicy sauces.

Going from taste to cosmetics, we in the industry spend so much money on label design, advertising, and other marketing with the general idea that consumers are initially drawn to labeling. We place those 5-oz. bottles lovingly on the shelf and hope ours is the one people will choose. The surprising results were that labels and slick advertising are not necessarily as important as we think they are. In fact, 63 percent of the respondents do not consider labeling to be a major factor in their purchase decisions. "I rate label pictures about 3 out of 10 points when considering purchase. All the sauces that rely on being 'way too hot' or 'majikal' or 'established since 1793 when we used slave labor to make a quick profit on an easily processed sauce,'do not get my business," said Elassar Tetramariner from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

And this is why, with so many new flavor blends on the market, and consumers becoming more discriminating, it is important to hold tastings and allow consumers to sample products so they can decide which ones they like best. This sentiment was reflected by Bettye Crum from St. Petersburg, Florida, who said: "It's hard to tell what you're buying when shopping for hot sauces because the labels are deceiving. The labels are creative, colorful and eyecatching; however, the sauces don't necessarily live up to the labels...and I am serious about my hot sauces."

On the other side, Bill Oakes from San Jose, California said "If it's in a REALLY cool bottle, I'll still get one. And Wayne Chow also had that opinion. "I am always drawn by the label/packaging first, then I consider the sauce," he said.

Price was the final consideration in buying hot sauces. I think Jody Baze of Albuquerque, New Mexico put it best, "Price is an issue, but only if it's very expensive. If I have to pay $10 for two ounces, well, this might dissuade me. However, it depends on how good it is, some things are worth paying for. And, of course, some things aren't worth a plug nickel."

I hope this helps you in your business pursuits. I particularly liked the following quote from Erica Klein of Houston, Texas because it rather sums up the whole fascination with hot foods: "I figure it doesn't hurt to overindulge in hot sauces--they are relatively cheap, give me lots of pleasure, are not fattening or frowned upon by society, and they might even have some health benefits." I couldn't agree more.

Judith Stone would like to thank everyone who participated in this survey,
especially the group from the Chilehead Digest.


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