Discovering NC Agriculture is a year-long series focusing on twelve N.C. grown, raised, caught, and made commodities. Tune in each month to see how an N.C. commodity is grown, harvested, packed for consumer use and more. Learn nutritional value, find fun recipes to try, hear from local chefs who use that product, and other unique commodity facts throughout the series. We look forward to helping you better understand some of our N.C. commodities and how they impact your everyday lives!
Sam Holder, owner of Hoop Pole Creek Hot Sauce in Atlantic Beach, has always had a love for spice. From raising peppers in the home garden to creating hot sauces with local fruit, including peaches, this Got to Be NC member has taken local spice to a whole new level!
As a young boy, Sam learned how to raise a variety of peppers at the hand of his father. “My dad had a garden for as long as I can remember,” he said. “I learned how to grow many different peppers, including jalapeños, Carolina Reaper and more.” As a lover of hot sauce and spicy food, Sam began experimenting with different hot sauce flavors in his home kitchen. The very first flavor he produced was Apple Peach Hot Sauce, which he still sells at Hoop Pole Creek Hot Sauce today. “I love the flavor profile that the Apple Peach Hot Sauce creates because it has a sweet and spicy tone to it,” Sam said. “When I made my first bottle, I actually took it with me into a bar where a guy begged me to take the entire thing! From that night on, my wheels started turning on how I could make this a full-time business.” In 2023, Hoop Pole Creek Hot Sauce was officially launched in Atlantic Beach.
From full-time flavors to seasonal options, Sam produces many sauces that appeal to customers across the state and beyond. Traditional flavors include: Mild Hot Honey, Helluva Hatch, Upside Down Pineapple, Mexican Quad, Reaper Select, Redeye Louisiana, and Scotch Bonnet Mango. Sam also sources local fruit from farmers in the area, including Cottle Farms in Faison, The Friendly Market in Morehead City, and Fresh-Pik Produce in Kenly, to produce his seasonal flavors of Apple Peach, Strawberry Spice, Raspberry Reaper, and Blueberry Habanero. Although he loves all of the sauces for different reasons, Sam’s favorite is the Reaper Select because of its intense flavor and state-wide recognition!
No matter what hot sauce he is producing, Sam has a unique and labor intense process that ensures each bottle is safe for consumption and made with love. “The bottling process starts with preparing the peppers and fruit that I grow and/or purchase,” he said. “I pickle most of my peppers to ensure a long shelf-life but also ferment a few for other uses.” Once the pickling process is complete, Sam takes what he needs to start making hot sauce. “I start with a 100-quart oyster pot and blend all the ingredients with a stick blender, which is different for each sauce that we make,” he said. “When using fresh fruit, like peaches, I have to add citric acid to the mix to preserve the color. After all the ingredients are blended, I homogenize the sauce by adding it to Vitamix for about two hours.” All hot sauces produced at Hoop Pole Creek must be boiled for 15 minutes at 190 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure safety in consumption. This is especially important when cooking with fresh fruit! Finally, Sam fills every bottle by hand before distributing it or storing it at his facility. “It does take a lot of time and effort, but I believe that is one of the qualities that makes our hot sauce stand out,” he said. “We don’t use a co-packer, we do it all by hand, to ensure the best product for our customers.” Sam and his team have gotten really efficient with the bottling process through the years. In fact, Sam can currently produce about 400 bottles in four hours!
Hot sauces from Hoop Pole Creek can be found online as well as a variety of locations across the state, including the Market at Cedar Point, Beaufort Olive Oil, Carolina Home Garden NC, The Butcher’s Market in Raleigh, Unlikely Professionals, Dean’s Farm Market in Wilson, and Ace Hardware. For a full list of locations, see their website. “Apple Peach is a flavor that we are asked a lot about because it is seasonal,” Sam said. “Typically, it is available for the summer months, when local peaches are in season, but it sells out quick. So, stock up while you can!” In addition to Apple Peach, other crowd favorites include Reaper Select, Helluva Hatch, Upside Down Pineapple and Redeye Louisiana.
We are so thankful for Got to Be NC members like Sam who find unique and delicious ways to utilize N.C. peaches. “I am honored to be a part of the Got to be NC program,” he said. “It’s a great community of people who not only help each other throughout the year, but promote the hard work of farmers across our state.” Look for Sam this year at the Cedar Point Farmers Market every Saturday and enjoy his hot sauce for yourself. Remember, the Apple Peach is only available in the summer, so don’t miss your opportunity to try a bottle!
