Espelette is a small village in the foothills of the Pyrénées. It has been grown here in the Nive Valley since the 1500’s when it was first introduced by Gonzales Percaztegi, a Basque navigator. By the late 1700’s the pepper was renowned and heavily influencing the local cuisine.

This pepper has become so celebrated that the French government has granted it an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controlee) : to carry its name it must be grown within one of the 10 listed villages in the valley and left to sun dry for around 12 weeks.

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