Natural ingredient supplier Kalsec has released its latest global consumer research report, Beyond the Burn: The Next Degree, drawing on responses from 9,000 consumers across 17 countries to map shifting demand for pepper-derived heat and spice ingredients in food and beverage formulation.
The Kalamazoo, Michigan-based company, which specializes in natural spice and herb extracts, hop products, and natural colors, frames the findings as evidence that hot-and-spicy has graduated from a directional trend to a segmented, commercially mature category — one that increasingly requires suppliers and co-manufacturers to offer differentiated heat profiles, precise application performance, and packaging claims that align with clean-label sourcing expectations.
What the Data Signals
For ingredient buyers and product developers, the significance of a 9,000-respondent, 17-country dataset lies in its geographic breadth. Regional preference divergence in pepper type, heat intensity, and flavor-forward versus burn-forward profiles directly affects which oleoresin or extract grades a formulator should specify, how heat units are targeted in a TDS, and how a finished product's label communicates spice origin and intensity to end consumers. The research positions precision — both in ingredient performance and in on-pack communication — as the category's next competitive axis.
Kalsec's portfolio includes capsicum oleoresins, paprika extracts, black and red pepper extracts, and standardized spice bases that allow formulators to hit repeatable Scoville heat unit targets across batches — a critical requirement for sauce, snack, seasoning blend, and foodservice operators managing tight specification sheets and COA compliance across multiple co-manufacturing sites.
Supply and Formulation Context
As demand for natural, non-GMO, and clean-label spice claims continues to intensify across retail and foodservice channels, the ability to source certified, traceable pepper inputs with consistent particle size, moisture content, and bulk density has become a procurement priority. Kalsec's natural positioning — and its established relationships across the spice extract supply chain — places it directly in that commercial conversation. Organic-certified and Kosher/Halal designations are increasingly table-stakes for pepper extract lines targeting premium SKUs in North American and European markets, a dynamic the research data is likely to reinforce.
The broader hot-and-spicy ingredient market has drawn sustained attention from flavors and extracts suppliers as global pepper and capsaicin applications expand across snacks, sauces, and plant-based categories. For suppliers navigating that growth, validated consumer data at this scale offers a practical anchor for sales conversations with brand and procurement teams evaluating minimum order quantities and long-term supply agreements.
The full Beyond the Burn: The Next Degree report is available through Kalsec. Ingredient buyers and R&D teams tracking heat and spice trends in seasoning and sauce formulation should treat the dataset as a forward-looking benchmark for category specification work over the next 12 to 24 months.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
