SOUTH BARRE, VT — January 15, 2026 -- Butterfly Bakery of Vermont’s newest hot sauce, Smoked Serrano Squash Reaper X, is making its debut on Hot Ones Season 29. This marks the company’s fourth appearance on the hit YouTube series and the fourth time the producer has brought Vermont small farm produce to one of the biggest food culture platforms in the world.
Built on Vermont-grown butternut squash and serrano peppers, Smoked Serrano Squash Reaper X brings complex flavor to the super-hot category. Roasted squash lends body and sweetness, smoked serranos create depth, and super-hot pepper heat follows rather than leads, resulting in a sauce that holds its own in the #9 slot on Hot Ones while reflecting its agricultural roots.
“This sauce is proof that Vermont crops are part of the national conversation,” said Claire Georges, founder of Butterfly Bakery of Vermont. “Hot Ones has an enormous reach, and having a sauce built on Vermont-grown ingredients in the lineup means that small farms are part of the story every time someone takes a bite.”
Butterfly Bakery of Vermont is the largest purchaser of Vermont-grown chili peppers and sources the majority of its ingredients from within 200 miles of its Barre-based cannery. Behind every bottle of hot sauce is a set of long-term relationships with a network of small farms – like Familia Farm of Pawlet, Dutchess Farm of Castleton and Honey Field Farm of Norwich. That scale and consistency give local farms reliable markets, while allowing the company to develop sauces that are rooted in place rather than trends.
BBVT’s continued presence on Hot Ones signals a broader shift in how small, farm-connected producers can participate in national food culture. What begins as a crop grown in Vermont soil can now end up shaping conversations, challenges, and taste memories for millions of people worldwide.
Hot Ones Season 29 is now airing on First We Feast’s YouTube channel.
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Butterfly Bakery of Vermont is a Barre, Vermont–based food producer best known for its small-batch hot sauces made with Vermont-grown ingredients, which have been called “the best hot sauces in the country” in Food & Wine. The company also produces Fat Toad Farm goat’s milk caramel, maple sweetened baked goods and award-winning mustards. Butterfly Bakery of Vermont works closely with regional farms and makers to turn local ingredients into internationally recognized products.
Contact: Claire Georges
802-243-4545
[email protected]