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Small Axe Peppers is a New York City-based hot sauce manufacturing company that buys peppers grown in community gardens that participate in the program. The company was founded in 2014 by John A. Crotty, Chef King Phojanakong, and Daniel Fitzgerald.[1][2][3]
Description
editIn 2014, Small Axe Peppers was launched with a mission to support community gardens in urban areas.[4] The company was founded in collaboration with non-profit organizations, GrowNYC, local community gardens, and Bronx Green-Up, the community outreach program of the New York Botanical Garden. Small Axe donates thousands of serrano pepper seedlings to more than 40 community gardens in the Bronx each year.[1]
GrowNYC donates and distributes Small Axe's serrano pepper seedlings to participating community gardens and urban farms each spring. At the end of the season, Small Axe Peppers buys the fully grown peppers, which are the key to the hot sauce.[5]
In 2014, Small Axe Peppers donated 3,500 serrano pepper seedlings to GrowNYC for distribution to gardens throughout the Bronx.[6] The same year, Lehman College also grew a pepper patch in its garden for the firm.[7] That year, 150 pounds of serrano peppers were sold,[8] and Small Axe collected peppers from Bronx community gardens including Morning Glory Community Garden, Kelly Street Garden, Wishing Well Garden and Pelham Organics. During the first year of production, Small Axe Peppers LLC made 5,000 bottles of hot sauce.[6]
The following year, Small Axe Peppers harvested 750 lbs of peppers from Bronx Community Gardens and made 30,000 bottles of Bronx Hot Sauce.[6]
In 2016, the Bronx community gardens grew 1,500 pounds of serrano peppers, which resulted in 70,000 bottles of hot sauce, an increase from 5,000 bottles in 2014.[6][5]
In 2018, Small Axe bought back 1,500 pounds of peppers from 30 gardens in the Bronx.[3] The following year, the company donated 1,800 seedlings to the community gardens across the Bronx.[1]
As of 2020, Small Axe Peppers bought peppers from community gardens from cities including, Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, Oakland, Seattle and Los Angeles.[9][10][4]
Awards and recognition
editIn 2017, Small Axe Peppers won the Good Food Award for the Bronx Hot Sauce.[11] The YouTube series Hot Ones by Sean Evans featured the Bronx Hot Sauce in season 5 and Chicago Hot Sauce in season 10. In season 5, Evans said for the Bronx Hot Sauce: “On a pound for pound level, I’m calling it right now, maybe the tastiest sauce we’ve ever had on this show.”[8][12]
References
edit- ^ a b c Rogers, Kate (2017-06-06). "Small Axe Peppers revitalizes Bronx with its homegrown hot sauce". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ "Hot Sauce Fit for Queens: Queens 7 Hot Sauce is Rooted in Local". Edible Queens. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ a b Kosciulek, Taryn Varricchio, Amelia. "Hot sauce company helps refugees by supporting the community gardens they work in". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Leigh, Danielle; Cioffi, Steve (2019-06-04). "Small Axe Peppers empowers urban farmers by providing free pepper seedlings". ABC7 New York. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ a b "The Bronx Is Hot". Westchester Magazine. 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ a b c d "Small Axe Peppers". www.specialtyfood.com. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ "Lehman peppers hot sauce market through own garden". The Riverdale Press. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ a b "Garden of Happiness Supports Community Through Hot Sauce Sales". The Fordham Ram. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ "West Side students get in hot sauce business by growing peppers at home". www.austinweeklynews.com. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ "Canon fire: These hot sauces deserve to be the new classics". The Takeout. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ "Winners". Good Food Foundation. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
- ^ Mania, Sauce (2019-06-30). "A Complete List of Hot Ones Hot Sauces". Sauce Mania. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
