Like a handful of others in the area, the 41-year-old is hoping to put Hungary's once booming paprika business back on the map after decades of neglect and despite fierce competition from countries including Brazil, Serbia and China. 

Szabo is following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather - they also made the powdered paprika spice that has long been a staple in Hungarian cooking. 

"I want to make sure people still eat Hungarian paprika," he told Reuters, as he poured a batch of gutted, dried and carefully selected peppers into a shiny steel electric grinder. "I stake my life on this: clean organic food, no preservatives."