Small Axe Peppers started in 2015 as local project aimed at finding ways to create delicious, locally-sourced hot sauce while helping community gardens in the Bronx generate more revenue. Fast forward 4 years, and while we are still focused on partnering with your everyday, community gardens, the project has gone national.

And in the process, our delicious hot sauce, made with peppers sourced from a community garden near you, has come across the palates of some pretty important people — from rappers, to foodies, to comedians, to politicians, to Silicon Valley executives! Want to find out what some of your favorite influencers think of Small Axe Pepper’s hot sauce? Keep reading!

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Anderson .Paak

Anderson .Paak started to make a name for himself after he was discovered by Dr. Dre in 2014. Dre helped him release his debut album Venice and a star was born overnight. Be sure to check out his most recent album Ventura which was released last week. In the meantime, watch him free-styling about The Bronx Green Hot Sauce, in video below. He couldn’t be more right when he says, “That [sauce] right there, is really for the public.”

Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray is a TV personality, businesswoman, celebrity chef, and author. She hosts the syndicated daily talk and lifestyle program Rachael Ray, as well as three Food Network series. She cites her Sicilian maternal grandfather, Emmanuel Scuderi, and her Cajun ancestry both exert strong influences on her passion for food and for cooking. Well, regardless of where she finds inspiration, it’s clear that this lady knows a thing or two about food. So when she says she could drink bottles of Small Axe Peppers sauce, that carries some weight. Check out the quote below:

“I wanted to tell you about this one. They ship and I’m sorta obsessed with it. I could literally drink this stuff. I put it on tacos, carne assada, flank steaks. It’s not too hot, it’s The Bronx Green Market Hot Sauce. It’s produced by a chef named King which is super cool. Again, it’s not too spicy but you should check this out because this is all about community. It’s about the Bronx growers and the Bronx Green Market. All the money that they make from this goes back into that little system, so it’s really cool.” —-  cue the standing ovation from the audience.

Go ahead, see for yourself:

Sean Evans

Sean Evans is an American webshow producer, interviewer, host, and most importantly, spicy food connoisseur. He is the host of Hot Ones, the show where celebrities divulge their deepest secrets while eating progressively hotter wings — a show with hot questions and even hotter wings

Evans found fame on the internet not only for his proficiency in celebrity interviews, but also for eating incredibly spicy food like the Carolina Reaper pepper, which holds the title for hottest pepper by Guinness World Records. He cites eating spicy food as a child for building up his tolerance, so I think it’s fair to claim that this man, is well qualified when it comes to judging hot sauce. So, when he says The Bronx Green Hot Sauce is the tastiest sauce they’ve ever had on the show, it’s very flattering, indeed. See the full quote below:

“Show some love for the BX. On a pound for pound level I’m calling it right now, maybe the tastiest sauce that we’ve ever had on the show. Serrano chiles, onions, garlic. Bellissimo. And then here’s a fun fact for you socially conscious chilli-heads out there, and I know there are many. The peppers used in this sauce are grown in community gardens all over the Bronx. Look at that, hot sauce, making the world a better place.”

Need to see it to believe it? Go ahead, see for yourself.

Hannibal Buress

Hannibal Buress is one funny dude, there is no question about that. He started doing standup in 2002 and never looked back. Nowadays, he is most known for his role in The Eric Andre Show, a surreal comedy series on Adult Swim.

What’s even funnier than one of his standup routines is his bizarre story about doing freezing cold, cryotherapy before indulging in some spicy sauces on Hot Ones. What a contrast? Almost more drastic than seeing a green community garden next to concrete urban blocks. See what he thinks about Small Axe Habanero Mango sauce, in the video below:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

While Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may be young, she understands the value of building community. The 29 year old, U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district, began her civic life by launching Brook Avenue Press, a publishing firm for books that set out to portray the Bronx in a positive light — one of our highest priorities! So, needless to say, when she discovered what Small Axe Peppers is doing for the Bronx, her beloved hometown that she now represents, she was thrilled. Read her heartfelt response after we sent her the Small Axe Peppers Sick Pack. 

Sheryl Sandberg

When the folks at Facebook discovered the work we’ve been doing at Small Axe, they felt it was a story that needed to be told. What ensued was the creation of this incredible short film which highlights the Small Axe brand: It’s not just about peppers, It’s about people. 

After the production of the video, we were invited to Menlo Park, California to meet face-to-face with some executives on Facebook’s campus.

Sheryl Sandberg is one of the most influential women in the world. As COO of Facebook, it’s fair to say that she understands the importance and value of bringing people of all backgrounds together. We had a rare chance to meet with her privately and tell the Small Axe Story.

Sure, we have two very different mediums for connecting people — hers being Facebook, one of the most important social networks ever created, and ours being local community farms, but we all agreed on the importance of community engagement and vowed to continue our respective missions! Check out the photo of us below:

Recently, during National Small Business week, she cited Small Axe Peppers as one of her favorite examples of a business bringing people together! See her post below!

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Well, there you have it! Celebrities, influencers, foodies, politicians, and leaders from all across the country are enjoying the Small Axe story nearly as much as our delicious sauces.

Get with the program and purchase some today!