Brandwave

Culley's vs Tabasco:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Tabasco had more branded searches than Culley's among hot sauce brands in New Zealand. Tabasco had about 3,030 branded searches, while Culley's had 1,430. Tabasco made up 42.9% of all hot sauce brand searches we track, and Culley's accounted for 20.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about hot sauce brands, Culley's appeared in all five answers and Tabasco in none.

Among hot sauce brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Tabasco, about 2 searches for every 1 for Culley's

Tabasco 3K searchesCulley's 1.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Culley's, mentioned in every answer we collected

Culley's in 5 of 5Tabasco in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Culley's, the only one of the two named

Culley's first in 5Tabasco never named

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Top hot sauce brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Culley's appeared in all five answers. Tabasco did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Culley's1st
  2. Kaitaia Fire2nd
  3. Apostle Hot Sauce3rd
  4. Taste Lab4th
  5. Uncle Dunkle's5th
  6. SpicyBoys6th
  7. Tabasco–
  8. Frank's RedHot–
  9. Huy Fong–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Culley's5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Kaitaia Fire4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Apostle Hot Sauce4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Taste Lab4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • SpicyBoys2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Uncle Dunkle's2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Tabasco0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Frank's RedHot0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Huy Fong0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about hot sauce brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

Is Culley's or Tabasco more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Culley's and Tabasco by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine hot sauce brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Culley's and Tabasco among hot sauce brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Tabasco, Culley's. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthTabascoCulley'sFrank's RedHotSpicyBoysKaitaia FireApostle Hot SauceHuy FongUncle Dunkle'sTaste Lab
Oct 202514.2%31.8%11.5%11.7%12.2%14.4%3.2%0.98%0%
Nov 202512%30.9%9.9%12.2%10.7%20.6%3.1%0.62%0%
Dec 20259.7%21.7%7.4%17.1%8.7%32.5%1.9%0.68%0.34%
Jan 202613.2%32.2%10.3%10.5%13.4%15.8%3.3%0.88%0.44%
Feb 202616%27.3%13.8%9.6%12.8%11.8%7.6%0.74%0.49%
Mar 202614.3%25.4%12.8%10.4%13.7%10.4%12.1%0.43%0.43%
Apr 202613.1%23.5%17.8%10.1%10.4%10.1%14%0.42%0.63%
May 202612.1%21.2%22.7%7%9%8.6%18.2%0.54%0.72%
Jun 202614.7%29.3%11.2%8.7%9.1%8.7%16.8%0.91%0.54%
Jul 202614%26.9%18.6%7.8%9.8%11.8%10.2%0.4%0.6%
Aug 202614.8%29%16.6%9.4%12.3%11.5%5.3%0.58%0.58%
Sep 202642.9%20.3%8.8%8.4%7.4%6.8%5.1%0.28%0.14%

How has the Culley's and Tabasco comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending September 2026: Tabasco took it in September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Culley's’ share of searches among hot sauce brands in New Zealand moved from 31.8% to 20.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.3K to 1.4K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tabasco’s share of searches among hot sauce brands in New Zealand moved from 14.2% to 42.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 580 to 3K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand hot sauce brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Tabasco overtook Culley's and Frank's RedHot to become the leader among hot sauce brands in New Zealand, with 42.9% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Culley's lost share of searches among hot sauce brands in New Zealand, from 29% to 20.3%.

How are branded searches counted?

15 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Culley's’ and Tabasco’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Culley's

11 branded search terms

  • culleys
  • culleys buffalo sauce
  • culleys burger sauce
  • culleys butter chicken
  • culleys chilli sauce
  • culleys chipotle sauce
  • culleys hot sauce
  • culleys kitchen
  • culleys onion dip
  • culleys picklenaise
  • culleys sauce

Tabasco

4 branded search terms

  • tabasco
  • tabasco chilli sauce
  • tabasco hot sauce
  • tabasco sriracha

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among hot sauce brands

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