2025 Wrapped: Our Proudest Moments this Year ⚡️

Before we jump headfirst into 2026, we wanted to hit pause for a second and look back at what this year actually looked like at 50Hertz.

It was busy.

It was scrappy.

It involved a lot of Sichuan pepper.

Here are five things we’re proudest of from 2025 — our version of a year-end wrap.

1. New Products, New Tingle 

2025 was the year we truly expanded the 50Hertz pantry — not by chasing trends, but by deepening what we do best.

Tingly Cashews, Built From Scratch

Our biggest launch of the year — and a major milestone.

Designed from the ground up, Tingly Cashews are creamy, savory-sweet, gently electric, and unlike anything else on the market. Proof that we’re not just a peanut brand — we’re a flavor company.

The Tingly Blend (50Hertz × San Juan Island Sea Salt)

A long-dreamed collaboration finally came to life.

Solar-evaporated sea salt meets hand-harvested red & green Sichuan pepper, layered with aromatics (organic garlic, ginger, star anise, shiitake mushroom, orange peel, chili flakes, nutritional yeast) and savory umami.

A one-jar shortcut to instant má-magic — and a foundational pantry staple for home cooks and chefs alike.

Tingly Peanuts, Upgraded

Our original product got a full glow-up:

• Lower price (yes, even against rising inflation rollercoaster tariffs)
  

• Fully custom, gift-worthy tins
  

• Cleaner, more natural recipe

Same extra-plump peanuts. Same citrusy buzz. Just better across the board.

Together, these launches marked a shift: 

Sichuan pepper, everywhere. Not just where people expect it.

2. A Small (but Mighty) Team Took Shape

Across time zones, kitchens, and airport lounges

Somewhere between:

• Supplier visits in Sichuan and Shandong
  

• Field visits to Goodnow Farms, the Massachusetts chocolate makers behind our Tingly Dark Chocolate

• Trade shows, tastings, workshops, and demos

• WhatsApp messages sent from Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

…things clicked.

Operations, marketing, finance, sourcing, storytelling — suddenly moving in sync. Watching a small team find its rhythm and push in the same direction has been one of the most meaningful wins of the year.

3. Major Media Moments 📰

We don’t build for press — but we won’t pretend these moments didn’t matter.

• Food & Wine ran a full-page feature calling our peanuts “a serious bar snack upgrade.”

• In November, Tingly Peanuts was included in The Wall Street Journal’s Holiday Gift Guide for "the spice-loving son-in-law who always seems to have the munchies".
  

For a brand that started by hand-packing tins at home, those moments felt surreal. More importantly, they signaled something bigger:

Sichuan pepper has officially entered the mainstream conversation.

4. Tingle Went IRL 🍽️⚡️

From the pantry to the plate — and around the world

This year, tingle showed up far beyond the bag.

Chef Collaborations

• Michelin-level tasting menus with Chef Tim Yu (DC) 
  

• Thoughtful, modern menus with Chef Jiho Kim (NYC)
  

• An Americana-meets-Sichuan burger + huājiāo mayo moment at Hill East Burger (DC)
  

Community & Cultural Events

From festivals and film organizations to universities, galas, demos, and even dance classes inspired by Sichuan pepper — we watched tingle take on a life of its own.

And it didn’t stay local.

⚡️ Where Sichuan Pepper Traveled in 2025

From its mountain orchards in Sichuan, huājiāo traveled to:

🇨🇳China · 🇺🇸United States (New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco, Seattle) · 🇫🇷France · 🇩🇰Denmark · 🇮🇹Italy · 🇩🇪Germany · 🇻🇳Vietnam · 🇱🇧Lebanon · 🇬🇧England · 🇯🇵Japan · and even the icebergs of 🇬🇱❄️Greenland.

It showed up in Michelin-level kitchens, specialty coffee shops, chocolate bars, cocktails, festivals, and home pantries — proving that this once-niche spice now truly moves across cultures, cuisines, and continents.

Officially global. 

5. More Stories. More Substance. More Huājiāo.

In 2025, we published 25 deeply researched, carefully written blog posts — not to chase clicks, but to build long-term trust and authority.

Highlights included:

• A definitive guide to red vs. green Sichuan pepper

• One of Google’s top-ranked articles on the health benefits of Sichuan pepper

• A deep dive into China’s specialty coffee boom — and how tingly coffee reached a major coffee chain
  

• Dozens of recipes — many created by Chef Doug Heilman — showing how Sichuan pepper actually lives in everyday cooking.
  

Together, these stories form the foundation of what we’re building toward:

50Hertz is the brand synonymous with huājiāo.

Looking Ahead to 2026

We’re entering the new year with:

• More collaborations and new product launches (stay tuned!)

• Deeper storytelling

• More ways to bring tingle into everyday life

Thank you for cooking with us, reading with us, gifting us, and believing in something a little unexpected.

Here’s to more tingle, more creativity, and more bold steps in 2026. ⚡️

– The 50Hertz Team