Hot pepper sauce is in use in 13.3% (about 14.1 million) American homes.
The age group most likely to purchase hot sauce is 25 to 34. Sales of hot
pepper sauces reached $85 million in supermarket sales in 1992, but not counted
in this figure is retail shops and mail order, accounting for about another 20%
of the market. There was a growth rate of about 20% per year through 1984, but
that was reduced to about 9% in 1992. Hot pepper sauce sales are expected to
reach $127 million by 1997.
Salsa became America’s number one condiment in dollar sales around the
middle of 1992, which reflects a growing love of all forms of this condiment.
Total sales of Mexican sauces are expected to top $1.7 billion in 1997.
“The future for salsa looks strong indeed,” wrote Robert Spiegel, publisher of
Chile Pepper Magazine. “We believe there’s plenty of growth left in this
upward trend. We expect salsa to remain America’s favorite condiment for years,
or even decades, to come, simply because salsa lends itself to adaptation to
changing tastes. Plus, salsa satisfies the broader trends in food. It is
healthy, low calorie, spicy, diverse in its ethnic applications and its
versatility. Salsa, in one form or another, has been gaining in popularity for
decades and decades. In our lifetime we don’t expect to see it stop gaining.”
– Dave De Witt
This article appears in August 25 • 1995 and August 25 • 1995 (Cover).