Hidden Gems: Meet Tucker Caton of Tucker’s Pepper Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tucker Caton.

Tucker, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My entire business revolves around my love of cooking and creating. In the early 2000s, when I was in college I developed a love for all things cooking. I would constantly create something in the kitchen and push my boundaries with creativity and food preparation. Around that time, I found that barbecue was something that I enjoyed doing and was pretty good at, so I would continuously try to make a better barbecue rub.

At a certain point, one of them stuck, and that later became our Classic Barbecue Rub. During that time, I also found a fondness for hot peppers which led me into making hot sauces and salsas. While I could handle some of the hotter peppers, most of my friends and family could not. This is when I began trying to incorporate hot peppers for their distinct flavors as opposed to their intense heat. Over the years we have developed several spice blends and barbecue rubs that focus on flavor instead of taste bud searing heat.

I constantly have to explain that I have developed these spice blends to be enjoyed by most people. The idea is to deliver a product that is no hotter than a store-bought cajun seasoning and still include the flavors of exotic superhot peppers. I think we do a really good job of that. We do have several customers that want the hottest thing they can possibly eat, so we do carry a handful of products that are on the extreme level of capsaicin charts.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To say that this has been easy would be a complete lie. I had been doing some of this business on the side previously while I was in a different career field. I left that industry on February 21, 2020. Within two weeks, I had found myself and my new food-related business caught up in the pandemic. I think at that point there was so much uncertainty, that a lot of time was spent trying to reinvent the business instead of moving forward with the plan I had.

With that said, things still are not the way that I had envisioned, but I also think that several good things have come from that time of uncertainty. Of course with any business, no matter when you start it, the first few years are always going to be difficult. I would certainly do it all again, and looking back on it some of the biggest struggles have been from either not knowing or not thinking about a certain aspect of the business.

For example this year we have been working on expanding and becoming more efficient at the same time. When I went full-time with this business I had no idea of what that would look like. I think that the process of becoming more efficient is a good lesson learned, and it seems like on a daily basis I have to stop and think about what will make everything easier.

My example of this would be more productive, faster, more accurate. I think that can be carried over to nearly all business but it is something to stop and think about.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Tucker’s Pepper Company?
Tucker’s Pepper Company focuses mainly on spice blends, barbecue rubs, candied pecans, and hot (spicy) peanuts. Our main goal is to meet you where you are at the spice level you are comfortable with. We make products that are; for the most part, on the mild side of things. Most of our products are not any spicier than store-bought cajun seasonings. I take pride in creating spice blends and barbecue rubs that are accessible to all people, while still delivering the flavors that can only be found in some of the hottest peppers on earth.

More times than not in the typical farmer’s market setting, I find myself having to explain that our seasonings are not “gift shop level” blends. All of the seasonings have been designed for flavor, not intensity. This year we started carrying a new line of spices and that is our PURE series. The PURE spices are dehydrated flakes and powders derived from the peppers that I grow. That series covers anything from Jalapeno to Carolina Reaper (the hottest registered pepper on earth). I would like to think that I am known for creating blends that are accessible to all.

At the farmer’s markets, I try to gauge someone’s heat tolerance through a series of questions and general conversations. I have found that in most instances that most couples do not share the same love for hot peppers. I think that I have created several blends that equate to compromise in those relationships.

Take for instance my Golden Ratio – Habanero Season-all, this blend allows those with heat-sensitive palates to enjoy the flavor of the blend. All the while, those heat-seeking individuals typically find the blend to be just right.

What matters most to you?
What is most important to me is the ability to deliver high-quality products and know that what I am delivering is exactly that. We have a special circumstance to where we grow the peppers that we use for our spice blends. We have the ability to know what was done to those peppers in their growing stage.

We always use organic methods to grow (while not certified organic), we believe that growing our peppers in organic soils, fertilizing with organic fertilizers, and treating pests (albeit rarely) with certified organic repellants and not insecticide will produce a better product to consume later.

I eat these products, my children eat these products. I guess you could say that I highly value the actual quality of a product versus the perceived quality and strive to meet my personal standards of quality for every product that leaves here.

Pricing:

• The Golden Ratio – 3.5oz – $5
• Competition Rub – 8oz – 10
• Jalapeno Salt – 3.5oz – $5
• Pure Habanero Flakes – 2oz – $8
• Pure Carolina Reaper Flakes – 2oz – $15

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://tuckerspeppers.square.site
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/tuckerspeppers
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tuckerspeppers

Image Credits
Andrew Nelson