IN THE BIZ DINING
The Safer, Faster Way to Bring the Heat Louisiana Pepper Exchange continues to revolutionize the industry BY P OP PY TO O KE R
24
BIZ NEW ORLEANS
AUGUST 2021
I L L U ST R AT I O N B Y T O N Y H E A L E Y
A native New Orleanian, Poppy Tooker has spent her life devoted to the cultural essence that food brings to Louisiana, a topic she explores weekly on her NPR-affiliated radio show, Louisiana Eats! From farmers markets to the homes and restaurants where our culinary traditions are revered and renewed, Poppy lends the voice of an insider to interested readers everywhere.
eties from small farmers across Mexico ever-increasing search for hot peppers, and Central and South America using his and it turns out those pepper heads also patented transport method, he located the have a bit of a masochistic streak. Humans’ new business a mere 20 yards from the taste experience of spiciness actually Port of New Orleans. occurs through the activation of pain More than 20 varieties of peppers receptors on the tongue. That jolt results totaling 3 million pounds of mash in a spontaneous release of endorphins a year are available anytime in the that simultaneously flood the human 25,000-square-foot facility, The company body with pleasure, an experience many offers total traceability from farm to find addictive. kitchen to ensure maximum consistency At the tender age of 7, Chris White’s in their mash, purées and powders. daughter, Arrington, has quite a pepper Ad d i t i o n a l l y, L o u i s i a n a Pe p p e r habit already. Exchange employs an in-house culinary “She puts cayenne on everything – and beverage development team offering from breakfast through dinner!” he said. turnkey solutions via co-packing and Luckily, Arrington’s father owns Louisiana private labeling to food service businesses Pepper Exchange, a vertically integrated large and small. Last Halloween, Dunkin pepper company located on Tchoupitoulas Brands worked directly with Louisiana Street in New Orleans. Pepper Exchange to perfect the spicy The path to White’s pepper passion was strawberry frosting used in their Ghost paved with military precision. Equipped Pepper Donut. The limited offering became with an engineering degree from West an internet sensation and flew out of Point, after completing his U.S. Army stores nationwide. service he joined Chemtec, the business In August 2020, the home cook became his father founded in 1982. Originally the company’s new focus with the retail based in Baton Rouge, Chemtec special- introduction of their most popular pepper izes in highly engineered processing purées in convenient, 4-ounce jars. From equipment used mostly in oil, gas and the relatively tame jalapeno, chipotle and chemical industries. White’s original role cayenne, to the hot-as-hell red and orange at Chemtec was business development, habanero and ghost pepper, the company which is how a conversation began with prides itself on convenience and ease of Tabasco in 2001. use of their purées. That Louisiana-based pepper sauce Now, instead of the unpleasant and giant was in search of more cost-effective often dangerous process of handling fresh, ways to ship huge quantities of pepper hot peppers, a spoonful of purée adds mash grown across South and Central the desired flavor and heat to any dish America for use in Tabasco’s production. or drink. Purée also has a distinct taste They had an ongoing issue with the mash advantage over powdered peppers like separating during transport, which made the commonly used cayenne, as the true it extremely difficult to pump out the flexi- pepper flavor is found in the water-soltanks in use at that time. uble components lost during the drying White’s special skill in problem solving process. This entirely unique product through value-added engineering resulted has found a welcome reception in grocery three years later in a new agitation system, stores across the Gulf South where it can incorporated into a single-use, food-grade be found in the produce department next polyethylene bladder capable of holding to the familiar garlic purée. 52,000 pounds of pepper mash. The new Chris White says Louisiana is in the “agi-tank” rolled easily into a sea container company’s name for a reason. He believes for transport, arriving in a homogenous in the community where he chooses to state, facilitating a smooth pumping raise his five children. White said he’s process at its final destination. proud that the fledgling new business White patented the agi-tank design in employs close to 40 full-time local workers, 2004. He credits Tabasco’s vision and many of them veterans like himself. business acumen for implementing the Louisiana is on fire, and White has the new process. peppers to prove it! n “They’re a great, smart group of people to work with. Our business relationship today remains as strong as ever.” Catch Poppy Tooker on her radio show, In 2010 White founded Louisiana “Louisiana Eats!” Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Pepper Exchange. Sourcing pepper vari- Mondays at 8 p.m. on WWNO 89.9 FM. A M E R I CA N TO N G U E S A R E O N F I R E I N A N
