The Story Behind Kalsec® Capsicum Extract
Cooking and food are about coming together. At Kalsec we are family. We have strong values, passion and a belief that we should simply treat people right. We believe in dedication and tradition, which is why our family has been cultivating chili pepper plants from a small group of farmers for over 30 years.
As the leading global supplier of capsicum products to the food and beverage industry, we wanted to share our story. We have two locations to ensure the supply for our customers in case of fire, crop failure or inclement weather. Kalsec has growing areas in both Oklahoma and Texas, meaning all of the chili peppers that we grow for capsicum are grown in the U.S. and are under our control.
What Makes Kalsec’s Capsicum Unique?
We do a natural selection during our seed and breeding process to guarantee our seeds are pure. Kalsec farmers know the land well. We know what went into the soil and what will come out of it, allowing for full traceability.
At Kalsec we are able to monitor the plants to ensure pesticides from our neighbor’s crops do not find their way into our extracts. We are then able to harvest in a way to not include those peppers in our processing. This is a challenge for competitors that get their chilies from many other sources because of the number of small, individual fields and because pesticides can be systemic in the soil and enter the plant.
What is Vertical Integration?
Vertical integration is about assuring the growing conditions and quality of our chili peppers. We use a natural selection process on our seeds and work with a select group of farmers to grow these peppers.
This is advantageous to our customers because they know exactly where their capsicum is sourced. They can be confident that it is safe from pesticides, is not genetically modified and that they are receiving the hottest commercially available chili pepper. This also means our capsaicin is highly concentrated so less can be used for the same effect. This provides a convenient and economic benefit to the customer and impacts the environment more positively.
To learn more about the process behind cultivating our capsicum extract, watch this video:
For more information, visit our Capsicum page.