The Low Sodium Hot Sauce Authority: Bella Pepper
By Jessica Lymberopoulos March 22, 2011 No Comments
“I never experienced loving a job before,” said Joe Muscarella, owner of the gourmet low sodium hot sauce company Bella Pepper.
In fact, since he launched the company in 2009 Joe has never really looked at running Bella Pepper like a job. It’s a passion.
“Once I got a taste of it, once I made my first sale, I was hooked.”
Bella Pepper Fast Facts
“The Gourmet Pepper Sauce”
Home Base: Newburyport, MA
Claim to Fame: Full-flavored, low sodium hot sauce.
Flavors: Bella Forte & Bella Diavolo
Joe never intended to start selling hot sauce — it’s something he fell into it inadvertently. He’s a problem-solver and avid cook by nature, so when he decided that there weren’t any hot sauce brands on the market that had the right flavor, heat, and sodium content, Joe headed for his kitchen and put his creativity to work.
The result was two distinct sauces that quickly gained popularity among his family and friends. Convinced that his sauces were something special, Joe decided to make a go at selling them nationally.
When he came up with his flavors, developing the best tasting hot sauce was Joe’s primary goal. Tied for second were the goals of creating something that was ideal for low sodium cooking and had the right amount of heat. With Bella Forte and Bella Diavolo, Joe believes he accomplished all three.
Both flavors have a consistency similar to barbecue sauce. They’re thick enough to coat a spoon perfectly and will stick to your food. Joe suggests using them as a dipping or finishing sauce, applying them to any foods that you would think to put hot sauce on.
They’re made with less than 10 all-natural ingredients and have a rich, complex flavor. With either sauce, you’ll taste the flavor first, then the heat.
Bella Forte is a good all-around hot sauce made with chile de árbol and crushed red pepper. All the heat hits you upfront, so it doesn’t get hotter with time.
Bella Diavolo competes with the hottest hot sauces on the market. It’s made with chipotle meco and ghost chili powder plus crushed red peppers. It has a predominantly chipotle flavor, but beware — the heat kicks in after you swallow and it gets hotter with time!
If you’re not a hot sauce aficionado, you’ll at least appreciate Bella Pepper’s classy packaging. Joe loves glass art, and so he spent over a year choosing the perfect “keeper” bottle for his sauces. He ended up with a beautiful glass design that you’ll want to leave out on the counter. It’s also eco-friendly because of it’s synthetic stopper and potential reusability.
If you buy Bella Pepper’s hot sauce online, there’s no questioning the quality you’ll receive — Joe promises excellence. ”I wouldn’t ever add products to our Bella Pepper line that I wouldn’t serve to guests in my house.”
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