PAPPY: A COLLABORATION FOR THE AGES
Who would have thought that a random pepper seed from a close friend living in Hawaii would be the beginning of this Georgia grown story now turned best selling product for Pappy & Company? For nearly a decade this family run business, operated by David Lemieux, his wife and two sons, have been growing the Bhut Jolikia pepper (aka Ghost Pepper) out of Midland, Georgia--hence the name Midland Ghost. To say that cultivating this unique pepper in the western part Georgia has proven to be “effective” is a bit of an understatement when you get to know David and his thriving pepper farm business.
Like most Pappy & Company products, the story begins with a friendship forged between Pappy & Company’s co-founder Chenault James, her husband Ed James and Midland Ghost’s business owner David Lemieux. Ed had taken the early experimental offerings (essentially the first version version of Pappy & Company’s barrel-aged pepper sauce) to Kentucky for Christmas one year.
The pepper sauce was a huge hit with the Van Winkle family and from there, two crafts were tied together and Pappy & Company’s barrel-aged pepper sauce was born.
For those of you who haven’t tried this award winning pepper sauce, it’s a unique flavor profile unlike anything on the market. The Pappy & Company barrel-aged pepper sauce is the result of the vibrant Georgia grown Midland Ghost peppers resting in oak-charred Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels. Theses barrels have spent prior decades perfecting bourbon, and like all Pappy & Company barrel-aged products, it strikes a balanced flavor profile between the pepper’s heat and subtle hints of bourbon.
With a solid partnership forged on shared family and business values, paired with a top selling product, we see a lot of possibilities on how this joint venture could grow and there’s no telling what’s next. Perhaps a seasoning salt? Hot maple syrup? Or even a Bloody Mary concoction. Stay tuned as our product development continues.
