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By 1868 Edmund McIlhenny began making pepper sauce, and during the early 1870's his concoction found its way to New York City, where a major nineteenth-century wholesale grocery firm, E.C. Hazard and Company, helped to introduce the product to the
northeastern U.S. and beyond.
Tradition holds that McIlhenny first used discarded cologne bottles topped with sprinkler fitments for distributing his sauce informally to family and friends. The sprinkler fitment was important because his pepper sauce was concentrated and was best used when sprinkled, not poured on. By 1868
McIlhenny had been encouraged by acquaintances to market the product commercially, and he did so, particularly in New Orleans, now using new cologne bottles. Sales grew, and by the late 1870's he sold his sauce throughout the U.S. and even in England.
Only One TABASCO®
In 1870, Edmund McIlhenny received letters patent for his unique formula for processing peppers into a fiery red sauce.
That same process is still in use today, and Avery Island remains the headquarters for the worldwide company which is still owned and operated by direct descendants of Edmund McIlhenny. View a sample of some of the TABASCO Gifts
that are available from the Country Store! |
