Our Story
A father, a son, and a twelve year quest to handcraft a hotter, thicker, more flavorful hot sauce.
"Start here."
Six-year-old Elijah stood in his father's garden and asked how he could become the youngest person to eat the world's hottest pepper. His dad, Bret, handed him a hot banana pepper and said, "Start here."
That first bite sent Elijah running for water — and kicked off a lifelong love of hot peppers and hot sauce.
Three years of trial & error
After trying every sauce he could find, Elijah asked his dad if they could make their own — better tasting, hotter. It took the father-son team more than three years of handcrafted batches to get the recipe right.
Late in the summer of 2013, they finally nailed the perfect balance of heat and flavor and sent out over 100 samples. Everyone said the same thing…
It's hot, but has great flavor!
— The first 100 taste testers
Goal: accomplished
That same summer, 16-year-old Elijah met Smokin' Ed Currie at PuckerButt Pepper Company in Fort Mill, SC — and ate Smokin' Ed's Carolina Reaper®, the world's hottest pepper. Ten years after that first banana pepper, he met his goal.
His review: "Never again. That hurt for 24 hours."
And with that, Bret had a name for their creation: Elijah's Xtreme — after the kid who wanted to be extreme enough to eat the world's hottest pepper.
Elijah's Xtreme is born
Elijah's Xtreme Ghost Pepper Sauce officially launched in June 2014. By August, the duo landed their first account — Bass Pro Shops, nationwide — where Elijah's Xtreme has been a top seller ever since.
Just getting started
Elijah graduated business school in 2020 and now runs the business alongside his father. A decade in, Elijah's Xtreme is the biggest hot sauce brand on TikTok — with award-winning hot sauces, beef jerky, hot honey, and an official Yellowstone partnership.
And we're just getting started.
Taste the story
Award-winning heat, handcrafted since 2014.