Heatonist's Rise from Pushcart to 'Hot Ones'
Heatonist founder Noah Chaimberg revealed he started the now-#1 Amazon hot sauce brand with a 600-pound pushcart in Brooklyn while still working a full-time corporate job. The brand's success, including its famous partnership with the show "Hot Ones," was built on a philosophy of "good taste" and authentic storytelling rather than just extreme heat.
Before "Hot Ones," there was a 1,000-pound pushcart. Founder Noah Chaimberg began Heatonist in 2013 by selling a curated selection of hot sauces at Brooklyn markets, sourced from small-batch makers who prioritized flavor over just heat. This was a side hustle to his full-time digital marketing job. The first permanent Heatonist tasting room opened its doors in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 2015. That same year, the team from a new YouTube show called "Hot Ones" reached out for help curating sauces for their celebrity wing challenge, establishing a partnership that would define both brands. Heatonist doesn't just select the sauces for the show; it collaborates with the "Hot Ones" team to create many of them, including the infamous "The Last Dab." This collaboration has propelled Heatonist to become the world's #1 online hot sauce destination, with annual sales for its flagship site, heatonist.com, reaching an estimated $45 million in 2024. The overall hot sauce market is booming, with one forecast projecting it to grow from a global market size of $3.82 billion in 2024 to $6.34 billion by 2033. Heatonist has capitalized on this growth by expanding its distribution significantly. Previously exclusive to its own stores and website, Hot Ones sauces are now available in over 8,000 major retail stores like Kroger, Publix, and Whole Foods. Beyond retail, Heatonist operates a second tasting room in Manhattan's Chelsea Market and has plans for a "Heatonist Catskills Chili Farm" in upstate New York. The company has also expanded its own product line through collaborations with celebrities like Dustin Poirier and the band Korn.
