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Habanero
New Orleans . . . The Habanero
pepper is a star gracing the covers of countless magazines and
newspapers across the country. Just five years ago it was unknown
to the American palate. Only a handful of travellers to the Yucatan
and the Caribbean knew of its fiery flavor until the emergence
of Melinda's Original Habanero Pepper Sauce. The Melinda's brand
is owned by Figueroa Brothers, Inc., a marketing firm owned by
Greg and David Figueroa.
"They've done a remarkable job,"
says David DeWitt, editor of Chile Pepper, "They've probably
done more for the promotion of the habanero pepper than any other
company in the U.S."
"The Habanero and Melinda's grew up
together," says Greg Figueroa, "Melinda's and the Habanero
pepper were the feature of one of the first Chile Pepper Magazine
issues. This Magazine went from 30,000 subscribers to over 100,000
in two years. Anything that has to do with chile peppers is on
the rise and continues to do so."
Evidence of the Habanero's recent fame is
the horde of 'me too' food manufacturers introducing products
featuring the Habanero pepper. There are numerous new entries
around the country. Locally, in New Orleans, the Hot Sauce Capital,
Wm.B. Reilly & Co., Inc., Paul Prudhomme Magic Seasonings and
Quetzal Foods all have Habanero pepper sauces on the market. A
June 2, 1994 article in the Los Angeles Times quotes Paul McIlhenny
saying the McIlhenny Company is working on a Tabasco Brand Habanero
Sauce.
In May of 1994, Melinda's introduced its
fourth pepper sauce, Melinda's Original Habanero XXXXtra Hot Reserve.
It will be an annual limited edition sauce and is considerably
hotter than Melinda's XXXtra Hot, the company's best-seller. New
for this summer is Melinda's Amarillo, a mustard-based Habanero
sauce.
According to Arthur Humphrey, owner of New
Orleans Cajun Creole Spices in the French Market, "Melinda's
is my top selling pepper sauce. People love pepper sauces and
Melinda's is just the finest one I have and I have them all."
Melinda's is available in grocery and gourmet stores nationwide.
Melinda's is the number one selling Habanero Pepper Sauce in the
country and overall it is the fourth best selling pepper sauce
according to 1994 A.C. Nielsen Scantrack reports.
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