Go Behind the Scenes of Bespoke Post’s Latest Hot Sauce Box

If you're looking for a purveyor of the cool and trendy, meet Jackson Fust.

As the Box Manager at Bespoke Post, Fust is tasked with curating items that upgrade the lifestyles of discerning customers. His selections range from beer-brewing kits to skincare products, but for Scorch, Bespoke Post's latest box, Fust landed on hot sauce — one of the hottest (pun intended) condiments in the food world right now.

Why Hot Sauce?

Hot sauce is currently undergoing a renaissance. From Beyoncé to Hillary Clinton, everyone is bragging about the hot sauce they carry in their bag. Plus, shows such as Hot Ones and TikTok challenges have turned hot sauce consumption into entertainment by spinning it as a competitive sport.

"There’s a built-in challenge with hot sauce. Even if you’re eating on your own, if you’re trying an extra spicy ghost pepper sauce it’s almost a culinary challenge," Fust recently told My Subscription Addiction. "A lot of things in pop culture have lined up with that."

Additionally, as the food scene grows more globalized, consumers' palates are expanding and becoming more adventurous. People are now more eager than ever to explore foods and flavors from other countries.

"Think of how sriracha took off in the 2010s and that really paved the way for people to explore spicy condiments and try something they hadn’t before," Fust explained. "[Hot sauce] has so much variety that you really get to explore a massive culinary world through one lens."

Put it all together, and the cultural and culinary moment seemed ripe for Bespoke Post to offer a custom hot sauce box.

Meet the Sauces

To curate the revamped Scorch box, which was just released, Fust and the team at Bespoke Post sampled over 50 different hot sauces to find the ones that tickled their tastebuds the most.

"When testing, we think about not only do we like the sauce itself but also how it plays along with the other sauces. That way we can offer a wide range of flavor profiles, pepper bases, and heat profiles, so it's not just one note," Fust said. "We want to be able to confidently stand behind the products we're showing and make sure that they feel high quality and also really novel and exciting."

The hot sauce box offers different variations throughout the year in order to introduce new makers and account for seasonality. For the upcoming summer months, the team decided to tailor their selections around fruity flavor profiles, featuring unconventional sauces with guava, mango, pineapple, peach, and citrus notes.

"One sauce in this iteration we’re really excited about is from a brand Adoboloco," Fust said. "They are a Hawaiian-based brand, so a lot of their sauces are more Pacific Island and Hawaiian flavors that don't pop up in hot sauces as often that we've seen. The one that we bought is their MYNAHS BRAH! which combines the flavor profile of a hot sauce with a bbq sauce for a mild sauce with notes of honey, fresh garlic and sea salt. We thought it was the perfect fit for the summer when you’re looking for a marinade or something for grilling, so it really spoke to the season."

In addition to Adoboloco's sauce, the box also includes AR's Peach Hot Sauce, Wuju's Extra Hot Hot Sauce, Van Smokey's Campfire Smoked Jalapeño Hot Sauce, and Seed Ranch Flavor Co's Smoky Ghost Hot Sauce — plus an extra surprise, just to keep recipients on their toes. Partnering with the small business Booneville Barn Collective, which Fust discovered through Bespoke Post's Support Small Initiative, the box also contains a non-sauce ingredient that still packs a punch: spicy salt.

"We wanted to find something that's not a traditional sauce but that can still be used as an unexpected condiment to add heat to a dish," Fust said. "When we looked at the revamp of Scorch we knew they had this delicious spicy salt that really rounded out the box, and we love their bright, colorful, and fresh packaging."

What's Next

Now that they have checked hot sauce off the list, Fust is already looking forward to what box will be put together next. Some trends that he's noticed are increasing interest in spending time outdoors, while still preserving the comforts and amenities of being indoors.

"We actually just launched a box called Retreat that’s essentially everything you need to get back to nature, including a packable hammock and a lightweight blanket. We’re also really excited about the outdoor cooking and kitchen space. We launched a really awesome camp coffee box last holiday called Billy with a small brand, and based on the success with that we are looking more into taking traditional indoors products and taking them outdoors, with a focus on cooking and related activities."

Fust is always on the hunt for new, exciting products that spark joy for him and the Bespoke Post team. Especially during the pandemic, when receiving a surprise gift in the mail could be the highlight of someone's day, Fust hopes that his picks also bring a smile to Bespoke Post member's faces.

"The joy of online shopping and having a package arrive gives a little jolt that has definitely helped me stay sane and happy during the pandemic," Fust said. "It’s a safe way to bring a little happiness to our day and I hope our boxes do that for our club members."

More about Bespoke Post:

• $45 monthly: Use coupon code ADDICT25 to save 25% off your first box
• Ships to US and Canada
• Founded in 2011
• Extensive members-only shop
• Pick which curated box you want each month
• Supports small and under-the-radar brands

Check out our Bespoke Post reviews to learn more.