Red Cherry chile peppers are botanically known as Capsicum annuum and are a member of the Solanaceae or nightshade family along with potatoes, eggplant and other varieties of peppers. Also known as Hungarian Cherry pepper and Cherry Bomb pepper, the Red Cherry pepper is named as such for its resemblance in size and shape to fruits that share the same name—cherries and cherry tomatoes. The thick flesh of the Red Cherry chile pepper makes them unsuitable for drying. They are most commonly utilized fresh in culinary applications and commercially as a pickled pepper.

The Fresno chile is a rather young variety of chile. It was developed and released for commercial cultivation by Clarence Brown in 1952. Brown named the chile "Fresno" in honor of Fresno, California. Fresno chiles prefer warm to hot and dry climates with long sunny summer days and cool nights for optimal growing conditions. They are grown throughout California, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, which is considered the most productive agricultural region in the world.