HOT TAKES AND BOLD FLAVORS: RAGÚ® AND HOT ONES™ UNVEIL 2025'S FLAVOR FORECAST

NEW RAGÚ^® x Hot Ones™ Limited Edition Heat Pack features three new fiery flavors with progressively hotter flavors for a limited time only

MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill., Jan. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Spice lovers, brace your taste buds! Tapping into the seemingly endless popularity of spicier foods and snacking expected to continue in 2025, iconic Italian sauce brand RAGÚ^® has partnered with the popular YouTube series sensation Hot Ones™, the show famous for hot questions and even hotter wings, to bring a new level of heat to the pasta-sauce aisle. The new RAGÚ^® x  Hot Ones™ Limited Edition Heat Pack makes a perfect spicy accompaniment to taste-tempting meals and snacks, introducing a truly innovative and on-trend first in the national pasta-sauce category.

"For more than 85 years, RAGÚ has been a trusted name in Italian pasta sauces and family meals and we're always looking for opportunities to push the boundaries of flavor while also delivering delicious, quality sauces," said Megan Frank, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Mizkan America, Inc., the maker of RAGÚ. "With this launch, we are so excited to partner with a leader in 'spice,' expert in 'heat' and one of the most on-trend entertainment properties around to introduce the hottest pasta sauce available nationwide. This bold, new range of mouth-watering and potentially eye-watering sauces in three spice levels are perfect for whipping up easy at-home meals and snacks with a delicious kick for your favorite heat lovers." 

Blending the classic comfort of delicious, top-quality Italian sauces with the heat of Hot Ones fan-favorite hot sauces, each sauce featured in the new RAGÚ x Hot Ones Limited Edition Heat Pack was carefully developed by the RAGÚ culinary team to ensure the perfect balance of heat and flavor. Whether hosting a Hot Ones-inspired challenge or spicing up otherwise-ordinary weeknight dinners, these sauces are versatile enough to add heat and transform a variety of dishes, from dips and burger toppings to appetizers and protein-based dishes. The limited-edition pack features three, 14-ounce jars of sauce in progressively hotter flavors, including:

• RAGÚ^® x Hot Ones™ Limited Edition Fiery Garlic (Hot) – Featuring notes of Fresno chile and garlic blending with the umami-rich tomatoes, this sauce provides a crowd-pleasing kick when added to baked goat cheese, pizzas and burger toppings.
  
  
• RAGÚ^® x Hot Ones™ Limited Edition Chipotle Blaze (Hotter) – Smoky meets sweet in this blend of chipotle peppers and tomatoes resulting in a deliciously spicy sauce that's a perfect barbecue substitute in your favorite chicken or beef dishes.
  
  
• RAGÚ^® x Hot Ones™ Limited Edition Chile Inferno (Hottest) – Beware! This sauce is not for the faint of tongue. Infused with some of the spiciest peppers out there, this sauce is perfect to add to wings, dips or whatever else you dare to put it on.

"Hot Ones is constantly looking for new and innovative ways to bring the heat to spice lovers nationwide, and the RAGU x Hot Ones sauces are a perfect combination of spice and Italian pasta sauces for innovative home cooks," said First We Feast General Manager and Hot Ones Creator, Chris Schonberger. "We're proud to spice up the pasta aisle with the RAGÚ x Hot Ones Limited Edition Heat Pack, featuring three new fiery flavors for a limited time."

Starting in early January 2025 and for a limited time only, the new RAGÚ x Hot Ones Limited Edition Heat Pack featuring all three spicy sauces will be available for $9.99 at Amazon.com and the Kroger family of retailers including Fry's and Fred Meyer. To learn information and explore easy, crowd-pleasing recipes using sauces, please visit www.RAGUxhotones.com.

Fans can use the RAGÚ x Hot Ones Limited Edition Heat Pack to challenge their family and friends at home to see who can handle the heat. Follow @RAGU, @FirstWeFeast and @HotOnes on Instagram and @RAGUSauce and @FirstWeFeast on TikTok to learn when the spicy new RAGÚ x Hot Ones Limited Edition Heat Pack trio of sauces will make their Hot Ones début.

About The RAGÚ^® Brand

The RAGÚ^® brand was founded in 1937 by Assunta and Giovani Cantisano and their sauce was originally sold from their home in Rochester, New York. Assunta carried her family's recipe from Italy when she immigrated to New York in 1914, and it has now been enjoyed by American families for over 85 years. With a wide selection of sauce varieties ranging from the beloved Old-World Style to the Chunky line, cheese sauces, Simply and RAGÚ Kettle Cooked sauces, RAGÚ empowers anyone to "Cook Like a Mother" regardless of gender or culinary skill. Today, RAGÚ sauce is the go-to pasta sauce for families coming together to share a quick and delicious meal and an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to "Cook Like a Mother" in the kitchen. For the very latest news, recipes and more from the RAGÚ brand, please check out the brand at www.RAGÚ.com. You can also follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok.

About Mizkan America, Inc.

Based in Mount Prospect, IL, Mizkan America, Inc., is a subsidiary of the Mizkan Group, a global, family-owned company that has been Bringing Flavor To Life™ for more than 220 years. As one of the leading makers of condiments and sauces in the United States, Mizkan America maintains 12 manufacturing facilities that serve the retail, foodservice, specialty Asian and food-ingredient trade channels. Since 2005, Mizkan America has seen dramatic growth and their portfolio now includes a wide variety of vinegars, Italian and Asian sauces, cooking wines, wine reductions and sushi seasoning. Mizkan America brands include: RAGÚ^®, Bertolli^®, Holland House^®, Nakano^®, Mizkan^® and Four Monks^®. Mizkan America is also the exclusive distributor/sales agent for Angostura^® Bitters in North America. For more information, go to www.Mizkan.com.

About The Mizkan Group

The Mizkan Group is a privately held, international food manufacturer, headquartered in Handa City, Japan, with a heritage that spans more than 220 years. Always guided by the company's Two Principles (Offer customers only the finest products; and continuously challenge the status quo), the Mizkan Group offers a line-up of well-known international brands under the Mizkan umbrella and is a leader in the liquid-condiment category. The Mizkan Group has operating facilities around the globe in places including Japan, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. More information about the Mizkan Group can be found at: www.mizkanholdings.com/en/.

About Hot Ones

Hosted by Sean Evans and created by Chris Schonberger, Hot Ones is the internet's hottest interview show at the intersection of food and pop culture. Hot Ones has welcomed a range of stars from Hollywood's biggest actors like Jennifer Lawrence, Idris Elba and Viola Davis to comedians like Kevin Hart, John Mulaney and Conan O'Brien to top athletes such as Stephen Curry and Shaquille O'Neal. With 25 complete seasons and over 300 episodes, Hot Ones has been recognized across the internet as a trailblazing interview style show with hot questions and even hotter wings. Launched in 2015, Hot Ones has received two Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show and Host.

About First We Feast

Founded in 2012, First We Feast views food as an illuminating lens into pop culture, music, travel and more through its innovative slate of food-driven video franchises. First We Feast's YouTube channel is home to flagship series, including but not limited to Hot Ones, The Burger Show, Heat Eaters, Feast Mansion, Tacos Con Todo, Gochi Gang and Coneheads, which drives a community of 13 million highly engaged subscribers and over three billion views to date. With a thriving eight-figure commerce business, First We Feast launched hot sauces, Truth or Dab The Game, a footwear collection with Reebok, "Hot Ones: The Game Show" on truTV, and much more. First We Feast's slate of original programming has garnered numerous awards and nominations, including two Emmy nominations for "Hot Ones;" multiple Shorty Awards; the 2020, 2019 and 2024 Webby Award for Food & Drink; and the 2014 James Beard Award for Best Food Blog. 

Media Contacts:
Candace Corner | RAGÚ^®
[email protected]
(216) 965-6848

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SOURCE RAGÚ