Cork Chilli Company brings the heat with Great Taste awards

A CORK Chilli Company is celebrating after its products won four Great Taste awards.

The Cork Chilli Company produces high quality, award-winning chilli sauces made from fresh chillies grown right here in Cork.

The company produces sauces with a large variety of flavours and heat levels to suit all tastes.

All of their chilli sauces are small-batch, gluten-free, vegan-friendly, free from artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, and thickeners.

The Cork Chilli Company is based in Douglas, and they grow and sell premium quality chillies.

From their chillies, the company makes chilli sauces and other chilli based products, and they also sell chilli plants.

All of their chillies are grown hydroponically, which means no soil. The plants are grown in channels or pipes with their roots suspended in a continuously pumped water-based solution.

The Cork Chilli Company states that it does not take shortcuts with their ingredients.

All are fresh, they do not use concentrates or pastes and they peel all their own fresh garlic and ginger. They also squeeze our own lemons, limes and oranges, chop their own pineapples and use fresh tomatoes and herbs.

The company also understands the importance of getting involved with charity work, as every year, it runs the annual Cork Chilli Company Chilli Eating Competition in aid of St Vincent De Paul.

Great Taste Awards Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else.

All products in the line-up for judging are blind tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process.

This year, judging took place over 89 days in Dorset and London, with a panel of more than 500 judges putting the products to the test. The line-up saw food and drink products submitted from an extraordinary 109 different countries across the world.

The Cork-based artisan chilli sauce producer, Cork Chilli Company, was named among the top food and drink producers globally this year, picking up not one, not two, not three, but four highly prized Great Taste awards.

Judged by the experts, 'Blazing Cayenne' and 'Habanero Inferno – Extra Hot' were awarded 1-star, 'Totally Tropical' was awarded 2-stars, and 'Bangin' Barbecue' was awarded an incredible 3-stars in the world's most coveted food and drink awards.

More than 14,000 products were put through the competition's rigorous blind judging process at the world's most coveted food and drink awards.

Meanwhile, just 4,088 products were awarded a Great Taste 1-star, 1,568 were awarded a Great Taste 2-star, and 248 were awarded a Great Taste 3-star.

Only 17 products from Ireland were awarded 3-star awards.

'Bangin' Barbecue' was described by the judges as having “a strong, smoky aroma with an appealing, deep-brown appearance” and as “a very good barbecue sauce that “would certainly be an excellent choice for a party”.

Meanwhile, 'Totally Tropical' was described by the judges as having an “inviting, tropical aroma, with clear notes of pineapple that also present well on the palate”.

'Blazing Cayenne' was described by the judges as delivering “freshness of tomato and ginger”.

“The flavour and medium heat of the chillies lasts long on the palate and carries the sweetness and gentle acidity of the sauce well,” the judges added.

'Habanero Inferno – Extra Hot' was described by the judges as having a “lovely colour and consistency along with a very strong fruity habanero aroma”.

“It captures the true fruitiness of the habanero and a pleasant gently building heat,” they added.” Speaking following the awards, Gary Barriscale from Cork Chilli Company, expressed the company’s delight at their achievements.

"We are blown away to have won four Great Taste 2023 awards including a 3-star award for our 'Bangin' Barbecue' sauce,” he said.

“We are so proud to be adding the prestigious black and gold Great Taste 2023 badge of honour to our 'Blazing Cayenne', 'Habanero Inferno – Extra Hot', 'Totally Tropical', and 'Bangin' Barbecue' sauces.

“We started our little company back in 2016 and to be where we are today is incredibly rewarding recognition for all our hard work,” he added.

"Being recognised with Great Taste awards like this means so much to independent producers like us, as it makes all the hard work and determination worth it!

“Great Taste is the most recognised accolade for taste and quality in the food and drink industry, so it's a huge moment for us!” 

Cork Chilli Company products are available in Cork from Mr Bells in The English Market, Bradleys on North Main Street, White Rabbit Deli on Princes Street, Wildflour bakery in Innishannon, and online at www.corkchillicompany.com/shop For more information about Cork Chilli Company visit www.corkchillicompany.com