This, however, is not the case. Tabasco sauce is made in one factory on one island by one family. The family that has made it all along.
The island is tiny Avery Island off the coast of Louisiana and the family is the McIlhenny family. Soon after the family purchased the island, they realized that it was rich in salt deposits, an essential ingredient of Tabasco sauce. Salt is still mined on the island today.
After the Civil War had destroyed his banking industry, Edmund McIlhenny decided to create a pepper sauce. This was not the first sauce of it's kind in the United States but the condiment wasn't common.
McIlhenny developed the recipe between 1866 and 1868 and sold his first batch of Tabasco sauce in 1869. And the rest, as they say is history.
The recipe has evolved over time but the salt and pepper seeds for the sauce still originate on Avery Island. The actual peppers grown from these seeds are grown all around the world.
The seeds from the best pepper plants on Avery Island are sent to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, South Africa and several other countries to be grown into peppers. These peppers are then used to make the Tabasco sauce.
The peppers are then hand-picked, ground up, mixed with 8% salt and left to ferment for 30 days. They are then shipped back to Avery Island.
This mash is aged for three years on the island. Next it is mixed with vinegar and aged for another 28 days. It is then ready to be packaged and shipped for your seasoning delight.
