Dave’s Gourmet, Inc. a nine-time NASFT award winner, just closed on its purchase of fellow specialty food producer Chile Today - Hot Tamale. Chile Today is a 14 year old New Jersey company that is best known for its line of delicious spiced pretzel nuggets and its premium chile powders and pods. They purchased the brand from Interantional Foodsource, a company that focuses on a huge variety of gourmet ingredients for the foodservice, private label and industrial markets. Since branded retail is not their focus International, Foodsource decided to sell the brand (also because they were friends with Dave at Dave’s Gourmet). The two companies are a perfect fit since they both sell to similar customers and both focus on high end differentiated products. This is the second acquisition in less than a year for Dave’s Gourmet. This past April they bought Palette Fine Foods, maker of specialty jams, honeys, spice rubs, and a new line of dessert sauces.

“I am really excited to be able to bring another great brand into our fold”, said company founder Dave. “Our expanded product offerings allow us to reach more customers, cross sell, and become more efficient, ” he continued. Dave’s Gourmet is also considering some further acquisitions.

This acquisition falls on the heels of launching a combination Hot Sauce and Garden Spray, an Adjustable Heat Hot Sauce, a Precocious Pepper Vinegar, and three delicious dessert sauces in their Palette Fine Foods brand. The dessert creams/sauces include a delicious Gingerbread Cream, a sinful Chocolate Orange Cream and an all American Apple Pie & Ice Cream.

Dave’s Gourmet is best known for their insanity hot sauces, salsas, drink mixes, and snacks. They also make Jump Up & Kiss Me Sauces and Dave’s Gourmet organic heirloom pasta sauces. Under their Palette Fine Foods subsidiary they produce exclusive jams, spice rubs, sorbet syrups, and honeys. Dave just appeared on his third Food Network special and has written a cookbook, Crazy from the Heat - The Dave’s Insanity Cookbook. Their website is www.davesgourmet.com.

Some of you may have noticed a bit of funky-ness happening on HSB earlier today, but not to worry - we had it fully under control. I’ve added in a list of the most popular posts in the right hand side column (popularity is based on the number of comments) as well as adding in header images for all the new sections. Everything is back to normal now, but please let me know if you find anything awry.