Bring the Heat

This April saw The Kraft Heinz Company introduce its HEINZ Hot line, including three Spicy Ketchup flavors and the first-ever HEINZ Hot 57 Sauce. Options include Chipotle (medium), Jalapeño (hot), and Habanero (hotter). Meanwhile, the new HEINZ Hot 57 Sauce offers a twist with red jalapeño.

“We know consumers are hungry for a wider variety of spicy sauces and flavors, and as a consumer-obsessed brand at the forefront of food culture, we saw an exciting opportunity to innovate around our fans’ evolving preferences,” said Lindsay Davis, Brand Manager, HEINZ Innovation at the Kraft Heinz Company. “Listening to insights gleaned from our audience showed us that a sauce’s heat source really matters to them, which served as a north star in creating new products with curated and flavorful, pepper-specific bases.”

Heat & Sweet

Kelchner Food Products, Eau Claire, Wis., says its new Smoky Maple Chipotle marinade and sauce “captures the balance of heat and sweetness with a distinctive smoky flavor.” Kelchner is a portfolio brand of horseradish grower Huntsinger Farms, Inc. The new sauce is distributed to grocery stores throughout the Northeast.

“Kelchner’s research and development team are on the pulse of the latest consumer food trends and wanted to create a flavor that responded to consumers' appreciation for smoky, sweet, and spicy combinations,” said Judy Christensen, Research & Development and Technical Services Manager at Huntsinger Farms. “Our Zing Masters experts–a roster of professional food scientists–experimented for a year to find the perfect balance.”

High Taste, Low Sugar

Primal Nutrition LLC, Oxnard, Calif., added five new sauces to its Primal Kitchen pantry staples line. New products include Organic Korean BBQ Sauce, Organic Honey Teriyaki, Mild & Sweet Buffalo, A Tad Sweet Organic Ketchup, and Whip Dressing & Spread. Officials say the sauces address consumer interest in real sweeteners while also the products keep the overall sugar grams per serving low. Specifically, the sauces incorporate ingredients such as organic honey or organic fruit juices.

“The Primal Kitchen brand is only getting bigger and better while continuing to clean up the classics,” said Co-founder and President, Morgan Buehler Zanotti. “In this case, we're proud of the innovative flavors we achieved without compromising on product quality or ingredient integrity."

Products range in SRP from $6.49 to $11.99 and are sold at Walmart, Fresh Thyme and independent natural grocers nationwide, as well as online at PrimalKitchen.com and Amazon. They also launch at Whole Foods this summer.

From Show to Store Shelf

Bravo’s Top Chef teamed up with the hot sauce aficionados at HEATONIST to create a trio of sauces to celebrate the milestone 20th season of the culinary competition series. This March brought Bravo’s Top Chef x HEATONIST sauces developed with guidance from Top Chef Season 12 winner, Mei Lin. Three 5oz varieties include Herbs Hot Sauce, a Peppercorn Hot Sauce and a Garlic Hot Sauce.

“Fans of Bravo’s Top Chef have always wanted to bring some of the show’s magic into their own kitchens, and by teaming up with hot sauce innovators HEATONIST and season 12 winner Mei Lin, we found the perfect partnership to spice up the palates of our dedicated viewers,” said Shalina Mansharamani, Vice President, Brand Marketing, NBCUniversal.

Bravo Media is part of NBCUniversal Television. New York City’s Heatonist has two retail stores and has become the world’s most popular online destination for hot sauce, the company says.

New Name on Shelf

Already known for its frozen pasta entrée maker Michael Angelo's Gourmet Foods, Austin, Tex., greeted the new year with four new varieties of Nonna’s Secret pasta sauce: Marinara, Tomato Basil, Roasted Garlic and Spicy Marinara.  Each contains fewer than 10 ingredients without tomato paste or added sugars. Michael Angelo's Pasta Sauce line is available exclusively at select Walmart locations nationwide for the retail price of $4.48 (MSRP).

"Michael Angelo's offers traditional Italian recipes passed down through generations, so our customers can enjoy a delicious meal as good as homemade without starting from scratch," said Risa Cretella, Executive Vice President and Group General Manager at (parent company) Sovos Brands. "We are passionate about sharing convenient, comforting meal solutions in today's busy world. Our new sauces extend the delicious authenticity and simplicity of Michael Angelo's into a new category. "

Southern Seafood Sauces

Sauer Brands Inc., Richmond, Va., expanded its Duke's Mayonnaise brand and its Duke’s Southern Sauces line. Joining the Southern Sauces portfolio are four seafood flavors: Bayou Remoulade, Creamy Chesapeake Cocktail, Gulf Coast Lemon Garlic Aioli, & Tidewater Tartar.

Officials say each sauce has a unique flavor profile, from “Creamy Chesapeake Cocktail, with flavors of ripe tomato and spicy horseradish; to Gulf Coast Lemon Garlic Aioli, which is made with real lemon juice and buttery notes of wine.” The 10oz squeeze bottle sauces contain no artificial flavors or colors, no high fructose corn syrup, and are kosher. The seafood sauces are available in 10oz squeeze bottles.