The exotic. The unique. A tempting spice that’s never been sampled before.  I’m talking about hot peppers that you could never find at your local grocery store. To get the sensations that a true heat seeker craves, we sometimes have to take extra steps. Maybe a recipe needs a twist that can’t be faked. Maybe another pepper needs checked off the scoville bucket list.

Here’s the good news heat seekers: there are sources that can ship you just what you need.

Below are online retailers that specialize in shipping hot fresh peppers. Just be aware that many sellers only offer fresh whole peppers while they are in season. That means in the US, it starts as early as April through most of  October, depending on where they are grown. Warmer climates and places that don’t have frost may have peppers available longer. There can also be periods during the season when no peppers are available due to the natural cycle of the plant.

Purchasing frozen peppers (see The Chile Guy, below) makes them available year-round. ChilePlants.com seems to offer fresh peppers year-round as well.

TIP: Have your fresh peppers delivered to somewhere where you will be able to receive them in person. The last thing you want is your peppers to be baking in the sun on your porch or, worse, in a hot mailbox. That would be no good for your spicy nuggets!

Remember, this is fresh produce being shipped all over the country. Sometimes, one or two peppers may be lost to rot or get damaged if the post office gets a little too frisky with the package. It’s not common, but it can happen. Returns or exchanges are typically also not allowed since these are perishable items.

Note too that many hot pepper sellers will only ship on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays because Priority mail takes 2-3 business days. This is to ensure that the peppers are not sitting for any extra time at mail sorting facilities over the weekend.

Please explore the following companies shipping fresh peppers across the U.S.! Looking where to purchase fresh pepper in Europe? Check out PepperWorld Hot Shop below.

ChilePlants.comJanie and Fernando are a husband and wife team with a small nursery, Cross Country Nurseries, located in rural Hunterdon County, New Jersey. They have been growing chiles since 1993, and offering their products by mail order since 1997. They offer several of the hottest peppers in the world year-round, plus pepper plants, seeds, and much more.

GhostPepperFarmsGhostPepperFarms is a father & son farming operation located in central Florida. They grow one of the hottest pepper species in the world, including one of my personal favorites: the Ghost pepper (aka Bhut Jolokia). Chiliheads out there can order fresh ghost peppers starting in June or live ghost pepper Chile plants (April – June). Wholesale purchases also welcome.

Baker's PeppersLocated in Florida, Baker’s Peppers offers fresh peppers delivered to your door when in season, which is in the Spring. They currently state around April 1st their peppers should be available for sale. Baker’s Peppers specializes in fresh, super hot peppers like the Reapers and Scorpions. They also offer pepper plants, seeds, dried peppers, and seasonings

A&M FarmsLocated in Alabama, A&M Farms offers fresh peppers delivered to your door while in season. Mixed boxes are available according to crop production. Each mixed box may include any of the following: Carolina Reaper, 7 Pot Primo Yellow, 7 Pot Primo Red, Red Ghost, Red Scorpion, Dragon Cayenne, Habanero, Serrano, Hot Lemon. Additional varieties will be added for online ordering as they are harvested. They also offer sauces, seeds, spices and powders

Looking for non-dried, chopped and frozen New Mexico and certified Hatch Green Chiles? The Chile Guy is for you! Available in packages of 5, 10 and 25 pounds. For commercial customers they can also send pallets or even whole truckloads. Also available: dried chile peppers, powders, & pepper flakes.

Located in Illinois, Ghost Pepper Store offers fresh Ghost Pepper Storehot chile peppers delivered to your door while in season. Their peppers should be available for sale by July. Ghost Pepper Store mainly specializes in a good variety of fresh super hot peppers. They also offer dried peppers, smoked peppers, powders and seeds.

Homesweet HomegrownLocated in Kutztown, PA, Homesweet Homegrown was started by Robyn Jasko, founder of Grow Indie. Be part of the world’s first chile pepper CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and get a share of their chile pepper harvest. Each month during the growing season, you’ll get a box of 18 hot peppers ranging from the mild to the blazing hot, shipped to your door. Each shipment includes a detailed history of each pepper, recipes for making your own hot sauce, storage info, and more!

PepperWorld Hot ShopLocated in Germany, PepperWorld Hot Shop ships fresh hot peppers across Europe. They offer Carolina Reapers, Trinidad Scorpions, Bhut Jolokia, 7 Pot Primo, fresh Cayenne Peppers, Hot Lemon, many habanero varieties, Peter peppers, and much more. They offer a huge assortment of gourmet foods, pepper seeds, pepper plants, sauces, spices and more.

Savvy Eco Living Scotch BonnetsLocated in New York, Savvy Eco Living and A Taste Of The Islands offers whole, fresh peppers via Candace’s Etsy shops. Selections include Scotch Bonnets, and Trinidad Pimentos. She also offers Caribbean hand made sauces, baked goods, spices and more.

Located in Fresno, California, 1freshleaves 1freshleaves offers whole fresh Thai Chile peppers online via their Etsy shop. They also offer fresh produce used in Thai cooking, such as Kaffir lime leaves, Thai eggplant, lemongrass and more. Items are picked fresh when you order, and are organically grown with no pesticides or chemicals.

Do you sell fresh hot peppers online? Email me and I’ll be sure to add you to the list!