Production
Originally all Tabasco peppers were grown on Avery Island. While a small portion of the crop is still grown there, the bulk is now grown in various locations in Central and South America. More predictable weather and readily available farmland allow a larger year-round supply. This also helps to ensure the availability of peppers in case of severe weather, or other problems, at a particular location. (All seeds are still grown on Avery Island.)
Following company tradition, the peppers are handpicked. To determine ripeness, peppers are compared to a little red stick (le petit bâton rouge) that each worker carries. Peppers that do not match the color of the stick are not harvested. Harvested peppers are ground into a mash on the same day they are harvested and then placed, along with salt, in white oak barrels (aging barrels previously used for Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey). The barrels are then sent to warehouses on Avery Island for a three-year aging process. After aging, the mash is strained to remove skins and seeds. The resulting liquid is mixed with vinegar, stirred occasionally for a month, and then bottled as finished sauce. Much of the salt used in Tabasco production comes from an Avery Island salt mine, one of the largest in the U.S.
Avery Island was hit hard by tropical storms in 2005, especially Hurricane Rita. The factory barely escaped major damage. As a result of a long history of dodging tropical storms, the family constructed a 17-foot (5.2 m)-high levee and invested in back-up generators.
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