Olde Virden's Tennessee Pepper Co. closes for good. What's next for the Virdens?

The news probably brought tears to the eyes of local hot pepper aficionados − and not the good kind that comes with the capsaicin blast of endorphins.

Olde Virden’s Tennessee Pepper Co., which got its start in Gatlinburg before moving to Knoxville, has called it quits after a decade.

"And ... that's a wrap!" the founders, Allyson and Chris Virden, posted on the website last week. "Thanks for the past 10 years. We couldn't have done it without all of you amazing customers."

The news that the company beloved for its blends of spicy seasonings −Tennessee Jerk, Red Hot, Sweet Sting and Spicy Verde − was planning to close down first came in February.

"We have been putting this off for as long as we can," the Virdens posted on Facebook. "We have made the difficult decision to close Olde Virden’s Tennessee Pepper Co. It has been an exciting, scary, joyous, stressful and incredible 10 years. We took our product further than we knew possible. Our customers kept us going during the difficult times. Unfortunately, it has become more apparent that the industry has become less supportive of small brands like ours."

The Virdens have been selling off their stock since then, posting at the end of April that "you guys wiped us out." Their manufacturing facility, known as the "Spice Mine," will go up for sale next week.

Don't fret about missing your chance to stockpile a stash, however − you can still find Olde Virden's blends on Amazon, although probably not for very much longer.

Pepper company got its start on Mount Le Conte

The Virdens started their pepper company in 2014. As the story goes, Olde Virden's Red Hot Sprinkle is Chris' brainchild, with the idea coming to him while he and Allyson were operating the hike-in lodge on top of Mount LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

He felt there needed to be a better option for pizza than the generic red pepper flake that is found in every pizza restaurant in America. So he set off on a "mission to create a perfect blend of five different chili peppers," according to the website.

The Virdens sourced peppers from local Tennessee farmers, dehydrating the peppers the same day they picked them up from the farm. The operation started small, in their Gatlinburg kitchen. By 2019, they decided they needed a larger facility and moved to Knoxville.

The Virdens' pepper blends even got a shout out in 2019 from Outside magazine, with an entire article dedicated to Olde Virden's Red Hot pepper flakes as the secret ingredient for five-star trail meals.

What's next for Chris and Allyson Virden?

The couple made the difficult decision to close down because their passions had shifted, Allyson Virden told Knox News.

"We've just been just learning, as we've gotten older, that having passion for your job is important, and we've lost that passion," she said. "It's time. Life is too short, and we have (other) things we can do and that we're passionate about. That where our energy needs to be pointed."

The Virdens won't be taking it easy, that's for sure. Along with "diving into strengthening" their North Knoxville vintage furnishings business, Mid Mod Collective, Chris will focus on Danish modern and mid-century modern chair restoration through a new business, @tennessee_chair_rescue.

"Over the past 10 years, Chris found a love for refinishing and refurbishing Danish modern chairs, and he has taken it on himself to learn how to restring them," Allyson explained, adding that he is working on certification through famed Danish designers Carl Hansen & Son.

Allyson, meanwhile, has become a certified health and weight loss coach.

"We both have really been focusing on our health," she said. "Chris lost 70 pounds and I'm down 65. I have become a health coach for the program that helped us to do that, Optavia. It's been a passion for me, helping people reclaim their health and live a healthier lifestyle. ... The beauty of it is, it's super simple."

When asked if there was a possibility for a potential return of Olde Virden seasonings sometime in the future, Allyson hesitated before saying, "I'll leave that as a cliffhanger."

Liz Kellar is a Tennessee Connect reporter. Email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville-based Olde Virden's Tennessee Pepper Co closes down for good