Awards · Scovies ·Jan 25, 2021

Karma Sauce Brings the Heat with Eight Medals at the 2021 Scovie Awards

The Karma Sauce Company achieved a new milestone at the 2021 Scovie awards, the prestigious national hot sauce contest known for rigorous evaluation standards and stiff competition. Five Karma Sauce products took home eight awards, propelling the company past its 100th award win since the company’s founding in 2010.

Cherry Bomb, Carnival and Funken Hot each took home at least one first-place medal in their category. This was a first-time Scovie win for Carnival, which won in the Specialty Chile category for XXX-Hot sauce. Funken Hot had previously received a Scovie for its Yellow Moruga edition, but this time took the gold for its original formula.

Cherry Bomb managed to take home two first-place awards, one for hot sauces in the Fruit category and one in the Habanero category. It also took home two second-place awards in the All-Natural and Unique hot sauce categories. Cumulatively, the sour cherry and habanero infused sauce has amassed a stunning 17 awards including 6 Scovies.

Rounding out the Scovie 2021 accolades were Curry Karma and Ashes 2 Ashes, which received wins in the World Beat and Specialty Chile categories, respectively. The Ashes 2 Ashes win allows Karma Sauce to boast both a first and third place presence in the Specialty Chile XXX-Hot category.

With 100 awards under his belt, you might think company owner/founder Gene Olczak had plans to rest on his laurels, but he shows no signs of letting up. “Our sauces keep winning because we pair premium Finger Lakes ingredients with bold flavor profiles that people have never tasted before. It’s so satisfying to devise such unconventional recipes and get such consistently positive responses. I won’t be stopping anytime soon.”

Earlier in the year Karma Sauce had taken 24 awards home from another high-profile hot sauce award show. “They won so many awards at [Zestfest 2020] that it was like they paid them off or something…They didn’t, they just have great sauces.” Johnny Scoville remarked during a Youtube review of Karma Sauce’s Good Karma.

Karma Sauce gained national recognition in 2017 when its Extreme Karma Sauce landed on season 5 of the YouTube series Hot Ones. Karma Sauce returned for the “All-Star” Season 10 of Hot Ones with Burn After Eating, a scaldingly hot hot sauce made specifically for the show.

Karma Sauce is also the exclusive manufacturer of the Hot Ones-branded sauces Los Calientes and Los Calientes Rojo. Karma Sauce owner/founder Gene Olczak collaborated on the recipe with HEATONIST founders Noah Chaimberg and Tyler McKusick, the sauce curators for Hot Ones.

Karma Sauce specializes in handcrafting minimally processed sauces in small batches from the highest quality ingredients. Karma Sauce grows hot and super hot peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos on Burning Springs Farm in Bristol, NY. Everything grown on that farm is processed and filled by hand at the Karma Sauce factory in downtown Rochester, NY. For more information, please visit karmasauce.com.

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