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.
Janie 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.
GhostPepperFarms
Located in Illinois, Ghost Pepper Store offers fresh 
Located 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!
Located in Fresno, California, 
Do you sell fresh hot peppers online? Email me and I’ll be sure to add you to the list!
