Ed Currie

Location: Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA
Known For: Creator of the Carolina Reaper and Reaper X

“Smokin’” Ed Currie is perhaps the most widely recognized name in the world of superhot chili peppers. He is the founder of PuckerButt Pepper Company, a South Carolina-based business that grows, sells, and manufactures some of the hottest peppers and pepper products in the world.

Currie rose to international fame in 2013 when the Carolina Reaper — his signature creation — was officially certified by Guinness World Records as the hottest chili pepper on the planet, averaging over 1.5 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU), with peaks measured at 2.2 million SHU. The Reaper is a cross between a Pakistani Naga and a red Habanero, bred for both brutal heat and fruity undertones.

Currie’s journey began not just as a hobbyist, but as a man on a mission. He was driven by a desire to study the health benefits of capsaicin and combat disease through pepper-based research. This passion led him to cultivate hundreds of pepper varieties in Fort Mill and to collaborate with universities for scientific studies on capsaicin’s potential effects on cancer cells and metabolism.

Beyond the Carolina Reaper, Currie has continued to push the limits of heat with newer creations such as Reaper X and other unreleased hybrids rumored to surpass even the Reaper's heat. He has also built a community of growers, worked with hot sauce makers across the world, and maintains a strong media presence through appearances in Netflix’s We Are the Champions, YouTube’s Hot Ones, and other culinary platforms.

Notable Creations:

  • Carolina Reaper
  • Reaper X
  • Reaper derivatives including Chocolate Reaper and hybrid strains still in development

Affiliations:

  • Founder of PuckerButt Pepper Company
  • Collaborator with Winthrop University and other research institutions

Legacy:
A transformative figure in modern chili pepper history. Currie turned a personal mission into a global heat phenomenon, blending scientific curiosity with breeding precision — and forever changing the superhot chili landscape.

Sources / References

  1. Guinness World Records (2013) – “Hottest Chili Pepper: Carolina Reaper”
  2. PuckerButt Pepper Company – www.puckerbuttpeppercompany.com
  3. We Are the Champions (Netflix) – Episode on chili pepper eating competitions
  4. Interviews: First We Feast’s Hot Ones, Epicurious, Chili Chompers
  5. Research collaborations published by Winthrop University