How Heatonist Built a Hot Sauce Empire

Heatonist's journey began not in a boardroom, but on the streets of Brooklyn in 2013 with a humble pushcart. Founder Noah Chaimberg's passion for small-batch, all-natural hot sauces drove him to create a curated collection for the public, which quickly gained a following. In April 2015, Heatonist opened its first brick-and-mortar tasting room at 121 Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This location became a destination for hot sauce enthusiasts, offering a unique "try before you buy" experience with hot sauce sommeliers to guide customers. The pivotal partnership with the YouTube series "Hot Ones" also kicked off in 2015. Heatonist was tasked with curating the show's increasingly spicy wing lineup, a collaboration that would soon see them co-creating exclusive sauces for the show, including the infamous "The Last Dab." The "Hot Ones" feature propelled Heatonist to new heights. The company's annual sales reached $45 million in 2024. Beyond its direct-to-consumer success, Heatonist has expanded its physical retail footprint, now boasting a second location in Manhattan's Chelsea Market. In a significant 2024 expansion, Heatonist brought its popular "Hot Ones" sauces to a much wider audience. The brand rolled out its products to over 8,000 retail stores, creating more than 30,000 points of distribution in major chains like Kroger, Publix, Harris Teeter, and Whole Foods. This rapid growth has not been without challenges. In March 2025, the company issued a Class II recall for some of its "Hot Ones" Los Calientes sauces due to potential foreign object contamination, affecting over 50,000 bottles. A spokesperson stated that the issue was isolated and the vast majority of affected products were caught before reaching retail shelves.