WASHINGTON, D.C. & SAN JUAN ISLAND, WA (October 24, 2025) — Two flavor-driven brands from opposite coasts, Washington, D.C.–based 50Hertz Tingly Foods and San Juan Island, WA–based San Juan Island Sea Salt, have joined forces for the first time to create The Tingly Blend, a small-batch salt and seasoning blend that makes everyday food má-gical, tingly, and unforgettable.
50Hertz Tingly Foods brings the citrusy buzz and floral aroma of Sichuan pepper to the world. Partnering with San Juan Island Sea Salt — known for its sustainable, solar-evaporated salt — brings that mission to life in its purest form.
The Tingly Blend combines 50Hertz’s hand-harvested red and green Sichuan peppers with San Juan Island’s mineral-rich sea salt, layered with organic garlic, ginger, anise, shiitake, orange peel, chili flakes, and nutritional yeast.
The result is bright, savory, floral, and gently numbing — a versatile blend that elevates everything from roasted squash and stews to noodles, popcorn, seafood, and even cocktail rims.
The Story Behind the Collaboration
The idea began with a simple stocking order. San Juan Island Sea Salt first carried 50Hertz Tingly Peanuts in their island farm store. When the two companies connected, they discovered they had been dreaming of the same thing: a tingly blend salt.
The timing was perfect. At 50Hertz Tingly Foods, the company was exploring ways to expand Sichuan pepper beyond nuts and sweets, and San Juan Island Sea Salt wanted to capture the buzz of 50Hertz's Sichuan pepper in a seasoning.
Together, the two companies decided to create not just a salt, but The Tingly Blend — a versatile seasoning designed to be sprinkled generously on a wide range of dishes.
“We’ve always dreamed of making a tingly salt, but we wanted to do it right,” said Tyler Ryan, Head of Product Development at San Juan Island Sea Salt. “Partnering with 50Hertz was the missing piece — their peppers are the best we’ve ever tasted. Together we created a seasoning that’s playful, versatile, and unlike anything else on the shelf.”
Why The Tingly Blend Stands Out
The Salt
Each summer, San Juan Island Sea Salt gathers seawater from a pristine private beach on San Juan Island (off the Washington coast) and hauls it back to the farm in Fred — a 50-year-old flatbed truck that’s become part of the lore.
The seawater is filtered down to one micron and pumped into 14 solar-heated evaporation greenhouses, where it crystallizes slowly over a month.
No fossil fuels. No additives. Just sunshine and seawater.
Each pond yields about 350 lbs of “white gold,” rich in natural trace minerals that give the salt its briny depth.
The Sichuan Pepper
50Hertz sources high-grade, single-origin red and green Sichuan peppers from more than 700 smallholder farmers in Sichuan’s legendary mountain orchards.
Harvested by hand among thorny branches in steep terrain, the husks are carefully sorted so that only the fragrant shells — never the bitter black seeds or woody stems — make it into the blend.
No stems. No seeds. No dye. Just pure má magic.
The blend balances the warm, floral depth of red Sichuan pepper with the bright, citrusy electricity of green Sichuan pepper.
Together they create the signature tingle — that curious, citrus-meets-electric buzz that dances across the tongue.
Unlike lower-grade imports, 50Hertz peppers are cold-stored at origin to preserve their vivid aroma and potent sanshool (the numbing molecule), ensuring every sprinkle delivers the real thing.
The Balance
Unlike most flavored salts that lean on one note — garlic, truffle, or chili — The Tingly Blend layers citrus brightness, floral lift, savory depth, and tingling electricity for a full-sensory experience.
A Gateway to Sichuan Pepper
“After living and eating all over the world, I’ve found nothing as surprising and joyful as Sichuan pepper,” said Yao Zhao, Founder of 50Hertz Tingly Foods. “With this salt, we wanted to take that spark and put it into something everyone knows and uses. It’s a simple way to make everyday food unforgettable.”
By pairing a universal ingredient with a once-niche spice, The Tingly Blend salt makes Sichuan pepper accessible to adventurous chefs, casual home cooks, mixologists, and flavor connoisseurs alike.
Availability and Pricing
Tingly Salt launches October 22, 2025, with a retail price of $15 per jar, available at:
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San Juan Island Sea Salt (website & Friday Harbor store @ 80 Nichols St., Friday Harbor, WA, 98250)
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Faire (for wholesale)
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Select gourmet and specialty retailers nationwide
The first run is produced in small batches to mark the launch, and both brands plan to make The Tingly Blend salt a permanent part of their product lines.
About 50Hertz Tingly Foods
50Hertz Tingly Foods is a Washington, D.C.–based company dedicated to introducing the world to the vibrant flavor and numbing buzz of Sichuan pepper. The brand takes its name from the scientific discovery that the tingling frequency of Sichuan pepper registers on your mouth at 50 hertz — a spark you can taste.
Founded by Yao Zhao, 50Hertz has grown from a single product into a line that includes tingly peanuts, premium pepper oils, spice blends, and limited-edition collaborations. By building direct supply chains in Sichuan and sharing the spice’s history and culinary versatility, 50Hertz aims to transform a once-niche ingredient into a modern pantry essential. Learn more at 50hertzfoods.com.
About San Juan Island Sea Salt
Founded in 2012, San Juan Island Sea Salt makes unrefined, mineral-rich salt and seasoning blends through solar evaporation on San Juan Island, Washington. Using only sunshine, wind, and rainwater, their process is entirely natural and fossil fuel-free.
With 14 evaporation greenhouses producing roughly 20,000 lbs of salt per year, their team has expanded into caramels, cookies, and over 40 unique salt blends — all crafted with creativity, sustainability, and flavor at the center. Learn more at sanjuanislandseasalt.com.
Media Contact:
50Hertz Tingly Foods Team
tingle@50hertzfoods.com
Media Kit:
https://50hertzfoods.com/pages/press
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