Cholula Hot Sauce facts for kids
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| Product type | Hot sauce |
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| Owner | McCormick & Company |
| Country | Mexico |
Cholula Hot Sauce is a popular brand of spicy sauce. It's made from chili peppers. The company is based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. The sauce itself is made in Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico. McCormick & Company helps sell it around the world.
Cholula sauce is not super hot. It usually rates between 1,000 and 2,000 on the Scoville scale. This scale measures how spicy peppers and sauces are. The sauce comes in a glass bottle with a special round wooden cap. There are six main types of Cholula sauce sold in North America.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The hot sauce is named after a very old city in Mexico. This city is called Cholula, Puebla. It is about 2,500 years old. It is one of the oldest cities in Mexico where people still live today. The name "Cholula" comes from an old language called Nahuatl. In Nahuatl, "Chollollan" means "the place of the retreat."
How Cholula Started
Cholula hot sauce was first made by the Harrison family in Chapala, Mexico. They made it for three generations. For a long time, it was mostly used as an ingredient in a drink called sangrita.
The sauce became popular across Mexico. Then, in 1989, Cholula was first brought to the United States. It was introduced in Austin, Texas. During the 1990s, you could find Cholula in many supermarkets. These were mostly in the American Southwest. Now, you can buy it all over the United States. It is also sold in many stores in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Cholula has tried to make other products too. In 1999, they tested a Cholula picante sauce. This was in Denver, Colorado. But it was quickly taken off the market. They also had dry seasonings like Original, Chili Lime, and Chili Roast Garlic. These were stopped in 2009.
In December 2018, a company called L Catterton bought Cholula. Then, in October 2019, The Cholula Food Company moved its main office. It moved from New York City to Stamford, Connecticut.
Later, in November 2020, McCormick & Company bought the brand from L Catterton. The sale was completed quickly.
Marketing and Flavors
There are six main types of Cholula sauce sold in North America. These include Original, Chipotle, Chili Garlic, Chili Lime, Green Pepper, and Sweet Habanero. The sauce is usually sold in 5-ounce glass bottles. The original flavor also comes in smaller 2-ounce bottles and larger 12-ounce bottles. You can even find it in big 64-ounce plastic bottles. Small, single-use packets are also available.
In the United States, Cholula is marketed as "The Flavorful Fire." It sponsors many sports events. Cholula is the "Official Hot Sauce" at motorsports events. These include the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the Coca-Cola 600. It is also served at all events at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Cholula has also sponsored college football games. These include promotions at the Rose Bowl, Sun Devil Stadium, and Huskies Stadium. The brand is also known for sponsoring winter sports. It has partnered with snowboarding competitions. One example is the Cholula Triple Air Show.
In March 2007, Cholula worked with the pizza chain Papa John's. They offered free hot sauce packets with every order. In June 2010, Cholula started a new ad campaign. It used the slogan "Rescue Food."
Cholula is also a major sponsor for several baseball teams. These include the Texas Rangers, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, and Miami Marlins.
In 2018, Cholula launched another ad campaign. Its slogan was "More than a hot sauce, inspiring your own mashups." This campaign was promoted a lot on YouTube. It encouraged people to mix Cholula with other everyday sauces.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants closed. To help sales, the company released a 2-ounce bottle. They also made deals with big fast-food chains. This allowed them to offer Cholula-branded items on their menus.
What's in Cholula?
The original Cholula sauce mixes piquin peppers and arbol peppers with other spices. The list of ingredients on the bottle includes: water, peppers (arbol and pequin), salt, vinegar, garlic powder, spices, and xanthan gum.
Nutrition Facts
A small serving of Cholula sauce (about 5 ml or 1 teaspoon) has:
- Calories: 0
- Protein: 0 grams
- Total Carbohydrate: 0 grams
- Total Fat: 0 grams
- Sodium: 110 milligrams
See also
In Spanish: Salsa Picante Cholula para niños
