Heatonist Founder on Brand Building
Heatonist founder Noah Chaimberg says his entrepreneurial interest was sparked after spending $150 in a hot sauce shop in 45 minutes. He started the brand with a 600-pound push cart in Brooklyn while working a full-time marketing job, eventually growing it into the top hot sauce brand on Amazon.
Before launching Heatonist, founder Noah Chaimberg had a background in digital marketing, a degree in business, and had even run a healthy breakfast counter in an MMA gym. His entrepreneurial journey also included selling Pokémon posters on eBay at age 15 and attempting to sell catamarans in Vermont at 16. This diverse experience provided a foundation for identifying a niche in the hot sauce market, focusing on flavor over just extreme heat. The brand's partnership with the popular YouTube series "Hot Ones" began in 2015 when the show's producers asked Chaimberg to curate sauces for their celebrity interviews. This collaboration proved to be a major catalyst for growth, with sales linked to "Hot Ones" sauces reaching over $7 million by 2018. Heatonist and "Hot Ones" have co-created over 20 unique hot sauce flavors together. A significant part of Heatonist's success stems from its own line of sauces developed for "Hot Ones," including the infamous "The Last Dab." This sauce is a collaboration with Ed Currie, the creator of the Carolina Reaper and Pepper X peppers. The company has also expanded its offerings through partnerships with celebrities like UFC fighter Dustin Poirier and collaborations with brands such as Pringles. From its humble beginnings, Heatonist has grown into a significant player in the hot sauce industry, with reported annual sales of $45 million in 2024. The company has also raised $20.4 million in funding to support its expansion. Heatonist operates two physical retail locations: a flagship store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and an outpost in Manhattan's Chelsea Market. In a major expansion of its retail footprint, the company's products, particularly the "Hot Ones" line, are now available in over 30,000 distribution points across the U.S., including major grocery chains like Kroger, Publix, and Whole Foods. Looking ahead, Heatonist continues to focus on product innovation, partnering with small-batch makers to create unique flavor profiles. In May 2025, a new dedicated online store for "Hot Ones" sauces was launched in collaboration with Heatonist, aiming to provide a customized shopping experience for fans of the show. Founder Noah Chaimberg has expressed excitement about the growing creativity in the hot sauce community, suggesting a future with even more unconventional and flavorful sauces.
