Startup CPG Newswire:
West Indies Peppa Sauce – WIPS Celebrates Caribbean Heritage Month at the Summer Fancy Food Show and Essence Festival of Culture
PRESS RELEASE — NEWS PROVIDED BY Shauna Vo Pulayya for West Indies Peppa Sauce – WIPS
ORLANDO, FL (JUNE 2026) — West Indies Peppa Sauce (WIPS), a brand preserving and sharing Caribbean food culture through premium Scotch Bonnet pepper sauces, will exhibit at the UNFI East Holiday and Winter Show (June 24–25, Mohegan Sun, CT) as part of Startup CPG, the 2026 SFA Summer Fancy Food Show (June 28–30, NYC) as part of the :INCLUDED CPG cohort, then head to New Orleans for the ESSENCE Festival of Culture (July 3–5). The road show puts WIPS in front of the country’s top specialty food buyers, press, and cultural tastemakers.
The Specialty Food Association named SenseMaxxing — intense sensory saturation over neutrality — its 2026 Trend of the Year, and WIPS is the original SenseMaxxing experience. Both varietals hit 200–300K Scoville: Red Scotch Bonnet leads with a bright citrus burst before the heat settles, pairing with chicken, fish, and steak; Yellow Scotch Bonnet is tangier and sharper, suited to eggs, burgers, tacos, and veggies. The recipe spans four generations of a West Indian family.
The numbers back the moment: 51% of global consumers actively seek cuisines from other countries (Innova Market Insights, 2026), and 74% of operators say globally influenced dishes command higher prices (Datassential).
“Every booth, every pour, every handshake is about making sure the food culture of the West Indies gets its seat at the table,” says Randy Pulayya, Founder, WIPS. “Caribbean Heritage Month is our moment, and we intend to use it.”
WIPS will exhibit in the :INCLUDED CPG section at the Fancy Food Show, a program connecting BIPOC-owned brands with retail buyers, co-founded by Victoria Ho and Jomaree Pinkard. “Randy’s passion for preserving West Indian food heritage, combined with a truly exceptional product, embodies exactly what our cohort represents,” says Victoria Ho, Founder, Sherpa CPG & Co-Founder, :INCLUDED CPG.
Randy was also recently named a Semi-Finalist in the Ubersoca Cruise x Carib Biz Network Business Pitch Competition 2026.
From New York, WIPS heads to ESSENCE Festival’s 32nd year in New Orleans — letting people taste, feel, and carry home four generations of West Indian flavor.
About West Indies Peppa Sauce (WIPS)
West Indies Peppa Sauce (WIPS) is a family-owned business dedicated to bringing the authentic flavors of the Caribbean/West Indies to a global audience. Committed to quality, authenticity, and cultural preservation, WIPS offers a range of premium Scotch Bonnet pepper sauces available on their website, Amazon, at events throughout Florida, and select retailers. WIPS won the 2024 and 2025 Spicy International Flavor Sauce of the Year Award in the Caribbean Category and is featured on Hot Ones Caribbean Edition, Season 4.
For more information, visit shopwips.com or follow them on social media @shopwips.
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