RICHARD LASSALLE, founder, Entube: I feel like I entered the market at just the right time
The explosive success of sriracha proved that some Americans like it hot. The more recent surge of interest in harissa – a staple in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine - suggests they are also looking for more complex flavors as well as heat, says Entube founder Richard Lassalle.
Entube’s harissa chili paste features paprika, cayenne, sea salt, olive oil, acerola berry, cumin, sumac, garlic, coriander and spices, explains Lassalle, a designer by trade (the labels are of his own design) who manufactures his product in Montreal, but says “endless summers in Provence” inspired him to reinvent the culinary staple.
The product – which has no added sugar or preservatives - is also super-versatile, working well with burgers, crackers and cheese, potatoes, steak, hummus, yogurt, salad dressing, vegetables, eggs and fish, adds Lassalle, who says there has been a well-documented shift towards hotter, more complex flavors and spices in everything from snacks to condiments, while Millennials in particular are more adventurous eaters than their parents, trends which all bode well for Entube.
“I feel like I entered the market at just the right time, unwittingly! Harissa has really been trending hugely in the US over the past couple of years with lots of people calling it the ‘new sriracha,’ so there’s been a lot of companies bringing out products here.
“But most of them are in jars, and are more sauce-like, almost like a tomato sauce, whereas mine is a paste in a tube, which really stands out. It’s also far more convenient. If you’ve got a jar, you use the whole thing or half of it and then what’s left in the jar often ends up spoiling.”
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