Heatonist Founder on Building a Brand
Noah Chaimberg, founder of hot sauce brand Heatonist, says his idea was sparked on a family trip. He started the company with a 600-pound push cart in Brooklyn while working a full-time marketing job. "The name 'Heatonist' came in a burst of creativity while sitting on my couch," Chaimberg recounted on a podcast, adding that he immediately bought the domain.
Before launching Heatonist, founder Noah Chaimberg had a varied career, including working in digital marketing for clients like Uniqlo and Mercedes, and even running a healthy lunch counter in an MMA gym. His entrepreneurial spirit showed early, selling Pokémon posters on eBay at age 15. The business was born from Chaimberg's frustration with buying hot sauces online without trying them first, only to be disappointed by the flavor. He noticed a craft movement in hot sauce similar to the craft beer scene and wanted to create a place where people could sample sauces before purchasing. Heatonist's first physical presence was a pushcart at Brooklyn markets in 2013, which Chaimberg operated while working his full-time job. This allowed him to directly engage with customers and get immediate feedback on his curated selection of small-batch sauces. A pivotal moment for the brand came in 2015 when the YouTube show "Hot Ones" asked Heatonist to curate the sauces for its celebrity wing challenge. This partnership propelled Heatonist to a much wider audience and established it as a major player in the hot sauce world. Heatonist has since expanded from its initial pushcart and online store to include a flagship tasting room in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and an outpost in Manhattan's Chelsea Market. These locations feature "hot sauce sommeliers" who guide customers through tastings. The collaboration with "Hot Ones" evolved from curation to co-creation, with Heatonist developing exclusive sauces for the show like "The Last Dab." This sauce was created in partnership with Smokin' Ed Currie, the creator of the Carolina Reaper and Pepper X peppers. In April 2024, Heatonist significantly expanded its retail presence, bringing its popular "Hot Ones" sauces to over 8,000 stores across the United States, including major chains like Kroger, Publix, and Whole Foods. This move marked a major step in the company's growth from a niche Brooklyn brand to a national name.
