Fort Mill’s SUMP’N SUMP’N is racking up the hardware, and scorching the competition. Following a string of recent Scovie Awards, SUMP’N SUMP’N Carolina Reaper can add a pair of highly coveted Golden Chili Awards to the bio.
1st place, Best Table Seasoning
1st place, Best Seasoned Salt
Announced this summer at the 2026 Fiery Food Challenge — the longest-running, most acclaimed professional hot sauce and spicy product competition in the world. The 25th anniversary competition, hosted annually during ZestFest in Fort Worth, TX, attracts entries from around the globe.
Of the seven spice categories, SUMP’N SUMP’N Carolina Reaper won the only two it entered, and was the only spice blend to win more than one Golden Chili; also the only company local to the southeast, the other Golden Chili winners coming from Texas, Michigan and New York.
The Fiery Food Challenge is is highly regarded by commercial brands (from small batch artisans to household names like Pace) because winning a Golden Chili award acts as a premier stamp of quality in the spicy food industry.
A panel of professional chefs, food writers, and industry experts perform strict blind-taste tests on hundreds of products across more than 80 categories — ranging from hot sauces and salsas to spicy snacks and marinades — crowning the year’s top hot products with the coveted Golden Chile awards. Products are ranked according to eye appeal, aroma, flavor, and heat scale. The winning products were highlighted for consistency of flavor and ability to use with a wide range of foods.
SUMP’N SUMP’N is a family of all natural, all purpose spice blends, handcrafted and small batched in South Carolina. The original blend is not spicy, it’s a salt & pepper replacement that enhances the flavor of everything you put it on. SUMP’N SUMP’N Carolina Reaper blends that same flavor with a level of heat that’s as serious as the name suggests. 2026 Scovie Award, Hot & Spicy Table Seasoning. 2025 Scovie Award – Hot & Spicy All Purpose Seasoning.
SUMP’N SUMP’N can be found locally plus online at getsumpin.com. In addition to the Original Blend and Carolina Reaper, they boast a “Hellfire” version (twice as hot as SUMP’N SUMP’N Carolina Reaper), a Low Sodium version of the original, and a Truffle blend.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AT ZESTFEST.NET
Sign up here to receive the Tega Cay Sun "day" Spectator every Sunday morning with all the news from the week directly to your inbox
Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
