Ed Currie

"Smokin" Ed Currie is an American chili pepper breeder who is the founder and president of the PuckerButt Pepper Company. He is best known for breeding the hottest chili pepper in the world, the Carolina Reaper, as recognized by Guinness World Records.[1][2]

Background

Currie was born in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He graduated from Central Michigan University. In 2001, Currie moved to South Carolina, where he began growing his own peppers in the yard and experimenting with crossbreeds.[3] He was featured in the episode "Chili Eating" in the 2020 Netflix documentary series We Are the Champions.[4][5]

PuckerButt Pepper Company

Currie started the PuckerButt Pepper Company in Fort Mill, South Carolina, in 2003.[6] The company has over 500,000 pepper plants and sells peppers considered to be extremely hot. He sells seeds, pepper mash, and hot sauce to more than 95 countries.[3] PuckerButt is the largest organic pepper farm in the US, with annual sales of around $1 million.[3][6] Currie's hot sauce "The Last Dab" became known when it was featured on the YouTube show Hot Ones.[6][7]

Currie crossbreeds his pepper plants by taking the pollen of one plant with a paintbrush and then delivering that pollen to a different plant. To create the Carolina Reaper, he took a pepper from Pakistan and combined it with one from Saint Vincent.[8] In 2017, Guinness World Records gave the title of "World's Hottest Chili" to the Carolina Reaper.[9][10]

References
  1. News and Info | (2015-04-29). "Ed Currie, creator of the Carolina Reaper, is working on an even hotter variety". Cayenne Diane. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  2. "Don't Fear the Reaper: Smokin' Ed Currie on the Link Between Peppers and Addiction". Honeysuckle Magazine. 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  3. Gabriele, Amanda. "How One Man Overcame Addiction by Growing the Hottest Peppers in the World". Thrillist. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  4. Schneider, Michael (2020-10-20). "Netflix to Premiere 'We Are the Champions,' Rainn Wilson's Look at Real, Unusual Competitions (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  5. Cornelisse, William (2020-11-26). "'We Are the Champions' Showcases Unique Global Contests". The Heights. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  6. Wells, Jane (2018-06-20). "How this ex-addict turned self-made millionaire created the world's most hellish peppers". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  7. 07 - Ed Currie - PuckerButt Pepper Company - The Hottest Farmer in the World *AG ODDITIES EDITION* - United We Ag, retrieved 2020-12-17
  8. "Ed Currie is the Mad Genius Behind the Carolina Reaper". Man of Many. 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  9. "Smokin Ed Currie". Charleston Wine + Food. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  10. "Of Note: Ed Currie, The Inventor of the Hottest Pepper in the World". scribble. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
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