I have been blessed to travel to many places in the world. Every place I have been I have seen it. A product that is an ambassador to my home in a land far away. That product is pepper sauce.

Whether it's Tabasco in Helsinki Finland or Louisiana Hot Sauce on a ship off the coast of Israel, the world has gotten to know Louisiana one spicy delicious drop at a time. And now sales of hot sauce are beginning to reflect the world's heated romance with our spicy condiments.

According to the market research firm I.R.I., hot sauce sales have seen a 6% annual increase in sales over the past decade. That's a lot of bottles and a lot of flavor that are being distributed around the world. Si Brown whose company Bruce Foods is the maker of Louisiana Hot Sauce says the spicy condiment is becoming a must have product for restaurants around the world.

"People have to have it.  And you can see in restaurants, sometimes, when maybe the bottle may not be on the table.  Consumers will stand up and walk over to a table where hot sauce is available and pick it up and go back to their table."

Brown's comments were reported by the Louisiana Radio Network. He went on to say that the popularity of hot sauce is beginning to rival the popularity of ketchup and mustard for many customers. The current boom shows no signs of slowing down as almost all of Louisiana hot sauce makers and distributors have seen positive growth in the past few years.

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