"We have raised the bar for heat intensity by surpassing the current world record holder, the Butch T Trinidad Scorpion," said Ed Currie, founder of the PuckerButt Pepper Company. Over a four year testing period, Smokin' Ed's Carolina Reaper has averaged a rating of 1.474 million on the Scoville Scale which measures the heat intensity of peppers. For comparison purposes, the Jalapeno pepper has a Scoville Rating of 3,000 to 7,000.
Winthrop University conducted testing of the seed pods.
The PuckerButt Pepper Company grows and harvests chili peppers on a family farm in upstate South Carolina. The company sells all natural pepper products that include salsas, sauces, jellies and mustards through its website and local festivals and will expand distribution into the specialty retail marketplace this fall.