Heat Meets Heart: Join the Reaper Challenge to Support Burn Survivors
On September 21 we will hold the first in a series of community charity events. Called The Reaper Challenge, competitors attempt to eat a sizeable handful of our new fiery Reaper and Weep pecans in one minute.
It’s all for the benefit of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg chapter of the North Carolina Firefighters’ Burned Children Fund (FFBCF). Each year this FFBCF chapter raises more than $30,000 for burn survivors, assisting families with ancillary costs incurred when someone suffers severe burns and is hospitalized. Those ancillary costs for travel, room, and board can quickly drain a rainy-day fund. They also award scholarships to college students who are burn survivors and to those going into burn care training.
Why The Reaper Challenge?
Our mission is far more than introducing people to the luxurious taste of savory roasted pecans. We want to contribute to the greater good by supporting the community outside our doors.
The launch of our newest flavor, Reaper and Weep, earlier this year, provided us with a unique opportunity to do just that, and at the same time, introduce people to savory roasted pecans. As you might guess from the name, Reaper and Weep is made with Carolina Reaper chili pepper and seasoned with other flavors to produce a snackable pecan for those who love hot foods. It is the hottest in our line of heat flavors, which includes mild Memphis BBQ, and then moves on to the spicier We’re Kickin’ It.
The Carolina Reaper chili pepper was the world-acclaimed hottest pepper for 10 years until 2023. Who better to deal with heat than firefighters who, research shows, develop increased tolerance for it over time? It seemed a natural fit for us to work with Charlotte firefighters to raise funds for their charity.
What started in early February as an idea to engage in corporate citizenship involving a nonprofit and several other Charlotte companies has grown seven months later to become The Reaper Challenge.
Are You Ready to Slay the Reaper?
Our hosts for The Reaper Challenge are some of Charlotte’s finest and best-known craft breweries. Our first craft breweries to sign on are Resident Culture-Southend, Triple C Brewing, and The Wooden Robot, with more craft breweries to follow. The first event is September 21 at Resident Culture-Southend. Come on out, donate when we pass the helmet, and cheer for your favorite contestant.
Everyone’s a winner when the purpose is for a good cause. Even so, these are competitive events. So, all those who complete the challenge will be declared Reapers. Those who do not are named Weepers. Don’t worry, we won’t make you wear a dunce cap. But, you might be required by your fellow competitors to cry “Aunt Patricia.” Plus, we will video record each event, so your success, or failure, will be available for all to see.
Can you join us to slay the reaper? Then check out the list of locations, dates, and times on our website. Reactions to eating about an ounce of these pecans vary greatly. You can see for yourself in this short video of our initial test Challenge event, In exchange for your modest $20 registration fee you gain the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping to support a good cause, a chance to claim boasting rights, and a quality t-shirt that attests to your effort to slay the reaper.
We hope to see you at one or more of these events.
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