FEE's new Economic Marvels lesson plan - "The Economics of Tabasco"
Several education organizations are starting up the new semester with brand new lessons. Today I'm featuring a favorite series - "Economic Marvels" - combining (in this episode) the resources of Business Insider and the Foundation for Economic Education. I'll also add a few links to hot sauce resources (lesson plans and general information) for teachers and learners.
Jay LeBlanc
1/14/20263 min read
Saw this one in my in-box this morning - even though I normally look for new lessons from the Foundation for Economic Education, it particularly caught my eye because I had just worked on the geography post a few days ago for Mexico (and yes, I do know that Tabasco sauce is made in Louisiana, but I always see it sitting on tables at local Mexican restaurants)! I think this is their first new lesson from their "Economic Marvels" series for 2026, showcasing (in their words) "stories of innovation and entrepreneurship from popular brands."
Their lessons usually start with a video, either from the Wall Street Journal's "The Economics Of" video series or from Business Insider's business video series. Then FEE supplements that basic introduction with a set of slides, Edpuzzle video, activities, and student worksheet. Just as a reminder, you need to register with FEE's Learning Center to access the resources - registration is FREE, and they don't flood your inbox with a ton of e-mails.
So here I will provide some previews of what FEE's new lesson has to offer, and some additional resource material on Tabasco sauce in general . . .
Information on "Economic Marvels" and the "Economics of Tabasco" lesson:
Link to the Learning Center at FEE - https://teachers.fee.org/enrollments
Series Page for "Economic Marvels" (again, may require you be signed in to access) - https://teachers.fee.org/courses/economic-marvels
Sneak Peek (below) of what some elements of a lesson look like:
Link to the original Business Insider "Tabasco: The Hot Sauce Empire Built On A Small Island" video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqBKJF7tE_k
Other Tabasco-related links you may be interested in:
The History of TABASCO® Brand (information about the company, not the sales site) - https://www.tabasco.com/tabasco-history/
"Tabasco Sauce Museum: Your Fiery Guide to Avery Island’s Iconic Hot Sauce Legacy" (beyond the tour, includes a lot of good information about peppers and marketing), Wonderful Museums, Aug 2025, https://www.wonderfulmuseums.com/museum/tabasco-sauce-museum/
"26 Things You Didn’t Know About Tabasco", Cheapism, Oct 2025, https://www.cheapism.com/things-you-didnt-know-about-tabasco/
"Tabasco put spice in American life: Here's the surprising origin of Louisiana heat", Fox News, Apr 2024, https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/tabasco-put-spice-american-life-surprising-origin-louisiana-heat
"14 Entrepreneurs Who Built Food Empires" (video - the Tabasco segment goes from 19:05 to 27:25), Business Insider, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSNQibwWGvU&t=1151s
"How the Tabasco Factory Makes 700,000 Bottles of Hot Sauce Per Day" (video), "Cult Following" from Eater, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnaj9ULhwqU
"Scoville Scale: How Hot is Tabasco?", A-Z Animals, Feb 2023, https://a-z-animals.com/blog/scoville-scale-how-hot-is-tabasco/
