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European Heat Council · europeanheatcouncil.eu

European Heat Council · Releases

Press releases

The Council’s press wire. Every release we’ve published for European hot sauce producers, in chronological order.

64 published · 9 forthcoming

  1. WIEN, AT

    17 June 2026

    Vienna chef-led fermentation house takes Silver at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    BRIZZ, a Bio sauce range developed by Haubenkoch Johannes Schartner, lands a Silver in Asian Style with a plum-and-seaweed Kimchi

  2. SKJOLD, NO

    17 June 2026

    Skjold producer takes a Silver in Chili Honey at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Chili Kjell pairs Carolina Reaper from his own Jungelhagen garden with 100% Norwegian honey, podiums in a five-entry European category

  3. BUCHAREST, RO

    17 June 2026

    Bucharest small-batch producer takes Bronze at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Chilliphoria's Disco Fever, a habanero sauce built on raspberry and dragon fruit, picks up Romania's foothold in the Freestyle category

  4. RIJSWIJK, NL

    17 June 2026

    Rijswijk-based Mexican sauce maker takes Bronze in Chili Oil at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Don Cabron's Salsa Macha de dos Chiles, dried Mexican chilies with roasted peanuts, pumpkin and sesame, lands a Chili Oil medal in a continental field

  5. BERLIN, DE

    17 June 2026

    Berlin Friedrichshain sauce maker Eckart Saucen takes Silver in Salt & Condiments at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Szechuan Chili Crisp, declared 4% Sichuan peppercorn, on a sixteen-year handmade range from a Berlin sauce-design house

  6. 17 June 2026

    Malahide producer takes a Bronze in Garlic at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Little Red's Everyday Hot Sauce, a slow-matured ferment of chillies and garlic, places third in the EU Garlic Chili Sauce category

  7. VIENNA, AT

    17 June 2026

    Vienna chili producer takes Bronze at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Pippis Pepper's Šoafer Knofl, a Wienerisch-named garlic sauce built on Burgenland-grown chilies, lands on the EU Garlic podium

  8. 17 June 2026

    Grenchen hot sauce maker takes Silver in Salt & Condiments at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Pot Uno's Angel Dust, a BBQ rub built around tomatoes and chilis from a Calabrian family garden, picks up Silver against nine European entries

  9. RAVENSBURG, DE

    17 June 2026

    Ravensburg chili-maker takes Silver in Freestyle at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Bhut Jolokia Chocolate meets a self-built curry blend, Silver in Freestyle for Ravensfeuer's Fear of Curry

  10. OBERALM, AT

    17 June 2026

    Oberalm chili producer Trusted Origin takes Silver in Garlic at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Black Garlic's Honeymoon, a vinegar-free build of fermented black garlic, habanero and Austrian honey, lands a Silver in Garlic Chili Sauce

  11. AALEN, DE

    15 June 2026

    Aalen sauce maker takes two Bronzes in Hot Chili Sauce at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Kamenica Reaper places Schwarzwald Roiber and Bucanero in the same heat bracket, one drawn from Black Forest folklore and the other from Caribbean buccaneer register

  12. NAGYMÁGOCS, HU

    5 June 2026

    Southern Hungarian kitchen takes Gold at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 with a jalapeño pickle

    Evoatis Örömkert places in Sambal, Chutney & Pickles, landing a Mexican chili inside Hungary's pickling tradition

  13. ŻEBBUĠ, MT

    5 June 2026

    Żebbuġ kitchen takes Gold, Silver and Bronze at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 on Maltese fruit and Gozitan saltpan salt

    Jungle Jams and More places three sauces across two categories: Gold in Sweet (3rd place) for Melon and Mint Habanero Jam, Silver in Sweet (4th place) for Mango and Peach Habanero Jam, and Bronze in Salt and Condiments (7th place) for chilli salt

  14. 28 May 2026

    Berlin is the European capital of hot sauce: five makers, 12 medals, and the year's highest-scoring sauce at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Not That Spicy alone took seven from a one-person Hohenschönhausen operation, with the other four Berlin makers sharing five between them.

  15. 28 May 2026

    Istrian producers take four medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026, with a triple Gold for OPG LJUTISTRA from Pula

    OPG LJUTISTRA takes three Golds in three different categories; OPG Hey Chilli takes Bronze in Sambal, Chutney and Pickles.

  16. 28 May 2026

    TheSauceMan and TIA FELISA take three medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    The two Madrid producers placed across three categories, making Madrid the only Spanish city with more than one producer placing at the awards.

  17. OSTRAVA, CZ

    26 May 2026

    Ostrava chilli kitchen takes Best in Category Freestyle at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Gaston Chilli wins four medals across four categories, including Best in Category Freestyle with DEAD MORUGA and Gold in Extra Hot with KRAKENOVY SLZY (Kraken's Tears)

  18. FAREMOUTIERS, FR

    26 May 2026

    Faremoutiers kitchen takes two Golds and a Silver at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 with a grandmother's recipe from Akurana, Sri Lanka

    A family-recipe kitchen run by Anfas Jasool with his mother and French co-founder Jérôme Nicolet places gold in Medium Chili Sauce with Kaathoon Chili Sauce, gold in Chili Paste with Kaathoon Veggie Sauce, and silver in Freestyle with Kaathoon Ananas Ardent

  19. NAVAS DE ORO, ES

    25 May 2026

    Navas de Oro kitchen takes Gold (3rd place) in Freestyle at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 with a Mexican Salsa Macha crossed with Canarian mojo picón

    La Chipotlera, run by Luis García Bartolomé in the Segovian pine country, places Gold (3rd place) in Freestyle with Salsa Macha Picona, a sauce built around red jalapeños slow-roasted in an oak wood-fired oven

  20. MÖNCHHOF, AT

    25 May 2026

    Burgenland kitchen takes Silver and Bronze at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 with apple chutney and a Kriecherl fruit spread

    Nachtgarten OG places Silver in Sambal, Chutney and Pickles with Apfel-Chili Chutney and Bronze in Sweet with Kriecherl-Chili Fruchtaufstrich, both built on Pannonian fruit

  21. UMAG, HR

    25 May 2026

    Umag family farm takes Bronze in Sambal at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Cowboy Candy, made by OPG Hey Chilli in Umag from peppers Sandra Vuica and Jan-Matija Stella grow themselves from seed, takes Bronze in Sambal, Chutney and Pickles

  22. PRAHA, CZ

    25 May 2026

    Praha kitchen takes Silver (6th place) in Mild Chili Sauce at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 with a pineapple sauce

    Zach's pesto & chilli, run by Lukas Zach in Praha, places Silver (6th place) in Mild Chili Sauce with LA PIÑA LOCA, a sauce built off the kitchen's "crazy stories create crazy sauces" line

  23. MARIEHAMN, FI

    24 May 2026

    Åland fermentation kitchen takes two Golds at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    One-person Mariehamn kitchen built on long ferments, autumn-harvest Åland honey and the brand's own kombucha vinegar: Gold in Chili Honey with Hot Honey, Gold in Sambal, Chutney & Pickles with Chunky Mojo

  24. GRAZ, AT

    24 May 2026

    Graz manufactury sweeps four medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026.

    CZILLI takes Gold in Asian Style with CZILLI Orient and Gold in Chili Oil with CZILLI Classic, with CZILLI Scovilli Bronze in the same Chili Oil category and CZILLI Steirer Bronze in Freestyle

  25. 24 May 2026

    Gozo's Ferment Island takes two Golds and two Bronzes at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    A chef-run wet-fermentation kitchen on Gozo placing across Hot, Chili Ketchup, Extra Hot and Salt & Condiments, ferments built on local sea salt from the island's salt pans: Gold in Hot Chili Sauce with Yellow Mellow, Gold in Chili Ketchup with Miso Habanero Ketchup

  26. BERLIN, DE

    24 May 2026

    Berlin's Moja takes bronze in Chili Oil at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    A one-person Berlin kitchen fusing Bengali and Sierra Leonean flavour places in Europe's largest hot sauce category, scaled from 30 jars a month to 300 in its first year

  27. BERLIN, DE

    24 May 2026

    Berlin one-person kitchen takes three Golds at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026, plus a Silver and three Bronzes

    Not That Spicy, Justin King's Berlin chili kitchen, takes Gold in Hot Chili Sauce with Roasted Hell, Gold in Medium with Cranberry Cracker and Gold in Chili Honey with Volcanic Honey, with a Silver in Chili Honey for Honey I'm Hot and Bronzes for King's Burn, Susan's Sorcery and Jude Jinn

  28. ALKMAAR, NL

    24 May 2026

    Mauritian craft sauce maker in Alkmaar takes Bronze in Extra Hot at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026.

    Mazavaroo Rouge (Reaper), a traditional hand-simmered Mauritian chilli paste with Carolina Reaper, picks up Vaanee Stock-Williams' second European award in a row.

  29. MURRHARDT, DE

    23 May 2026

    Schwäbischer Wald kitchen takes three Golds in three different categories at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Murrhardt's Chilma takes Gold in Chili Ketchup with Salsa Habanero, Gold in Chili Oil with Spicy Chili Crisp, and Gold in Salt & Condiments with Carolina Reaper Salz

  30. CONIL DE LA FRONTERA, ES

    22 May 2026

    Cádiz coast kitchen takes three placings at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Silver in Hot with Andalusí, plus two Bronzes (Extrapicante in Extra Hot, Barbacoa Pedro Ximenez in BBQ), all made by hand in Conil de la Frontera

  31. WOKING, UK

    22 May 2026

    Woking hot sauce kitchen takes a Silver and two Bronzes across three categories at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Big Ginger Sauce Co places Naga Bomb: Ghost Edition, Angel and Obsidian, with three different chili traditions across Extra Hot, Medium and Chili Oil

  32. THIERSHEIM, DE

    22 May 2026

    Fichtelgebirge chili manufactory defends Extra Hot title and adds a second category gold at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Burnin Benzes Chilimanufaktur, growing chillies in its own greenhouses in Thiersheim since 1999, takes Best in Category in Extra Hot Chili Sauce with Scorpion Grinder, Best in Category in Salt and Condiments with Jamaican Jerk, and Bronze in Medium with Hot Pepparella

  33. WINCHESTER, UK

    22 May 2026

    Hampshire producer takes two medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026, only UK brand placing in both BBQ and Hot Chili Sauce

    Trinidadian-inspired sauces crafted in Hampshire, Silver in BBQ Chili Sauce with Spicy Pineapple BBQ Sauce and Bronze in Hot Chili Sauce with Roasted Tomato Xtra Hot Sauce

  34. ALMERE, NL

    22 May 2026

    Almere's Chardy's takes silver and bronze in Sweet at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Hand-made luxury chilli jams built for cheese and charcuterie boards, each finished with a premium spirit: silver with Glühwein, Cranberry and Armagnac, bronze with Jalapeño, Lime and Mezcal

  35. HELSINKI, FI

    22 May 2026

    Helsinki small-batch kitchen takes silver in Extra Hot at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Evil Triple Trouble, ten years on from the day Dinny Harjula set out to build a sauce too hot for himself

  36. MEŽICA, SI

    22 May 2026

    Mežica chilli kitchen takes Bronze at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Garlic Chinense, handcrafted in small batches with four chilli varieties and Slovenian garlic grown locally, takes Bronze in Garlic Chili Sauce

  37. UCCLE, BE

    22 May 2026

    Brussels family kitchen takes Best in Asian Style and Gold in Sweet at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    HotZeg lands CHEE-LY at the top of Asian Style and ADIXION at #6 in Europe's Top 10 overall, with KIKEBICHE picking up Bronze in Mild

  38. BERLIN, DE

    22 May 2026

    Berlin's Los Chilaquiles takes silver in Chili Oil at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    A family salsa macha recipe carried from Mexico, fried garlic and toasted sesame in oil, places in Europe's largest hot sauce category

  39. NUREMBERG, DE

    22 May 2026

    Nuremberg couple's Hot Goddess takes Best in Sweet and ranks as Europe's #2 hot sauce at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    ME AND MY HOT SAUCE picks up seven medals across five categories, with two sauces medalling in two different categories.

  40. KATSDORF, AT

    22 May 2026

    Katsdorf chili kitchen leads the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 with nine medals across seven categories

    MV Chili-Manufaktur takes Best in Category in Chili Ketchup with Chili-Ketchup extra hot, plus Gold in Freestyle with Brombeere-Fichte and seven further podiums

  41. PULA, HR

    22 May 2026

    Pula craft hot sauce kitchen takes three golds at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026, in three different categories

    OPG LJUTISTRA takes Gold in Extract Based, Garlic and Salt & Condiments with EL KLASIKO, FARABUTO and MIRODIJA

  42. VALKENSWAARD, NL

    22 May 2026

    Valkenswaard's Qudo'tjes takes two silvers in Chili Oil at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Hand-made chili crisps from a North Brabant kitchen, two distinct builds across smoke and sesame: silver with Stormur, silver with Tempestade

  43. GOTHENBURG, SE

    22 May 2026

    Gothenburg fermentation kitchen lands inside Europe's Top 10 at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Blackberry & Chipotle ranks #7 across all 200-plus EHSA entries, with two further podiums in Freestyle and Medium for Patrik Howe's Såseriet

  44. VILA NOVA DE MILFONTES, PT

    22 May 2026

    Vila Nova de Milfontes kitchen takes Bronze at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Asian-style chili sauce built on an Alentejo extra virgin olive oil base, made by hand on the Costa Vicentina by a two-person kitchen

  45. MADRID, ES

    22 May 2026

    Madrid producer takes Silver and Bronze at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    TheSauceMan, run in Madrid by British saucemaker Mark Nicholls, places in Medium Chili Sauce with Hot Pickle and in Sambal, Chutney and Pickles with Tomate con Chilli Quemado

  46. MADRID, ES

    22 May 2026

    Madrid family kitchen takes Silver in Garlic at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    TIA FELISA, named after the family's own aunt, fermented and bottled by hand between Murcia and Madrid, takes Silver in Garlic Chili Sauce with La Clasica

  47. BISTRA, HR

    22 May 2026

    Bistra greenhouse sauce-maker takes silver at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 with Croatia's currently hottest bottle

    The Last Supper, a year-fermented Trinidad Scorpion build finished above 850,000 SHU, lands silver in Extract Based Chili Sauce

  48. GEMONA DEL FRIULI, IT

    21 May 2026

    Gemona del Friuli micro-farm takes two awards at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    B-Orto Peppers wins Bronze Medals in Asian Style with Bau Bau Miso Miso and Kimchi di aglio orsino, koji-fermented and built around chillies grown on the farm

  49. CELLDÖMÖLK, HU

    21 May 2026

    Celldömölk hot sauce kitchen takes silver in BBQ at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    SzmoKing, slow-cooked for the charcoal-smoke logic of real BBQ, places a Vas County kitchen among Europe's best with the maker working from his own recipes

  50. FERREIRA DO ZÊZERE, PT

    21 May 2026

    Central Portugal chilli farm takes three medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Chillies grown on a farm in Ferreira do Zêzere, hand-finished in an approved kitchen in Alvaiázere, taking two Silvers and a Bronze in The Chilli Experience's first full year of approved-kitchen production

  51. 21 May 2026

    Maribor eco chili farm takes two medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Cili Napoj, run by Žiga Legnar on a small eco chili farm near Maribor, takes Bronze in Sambal, Chutney and Pickles with Malinina senca and Bronze in Sweet with Marelična mrzlica

  52. VOLENDAM, NL

    21 May 2026

    Volendam wins European Sambal gold with a recipe traced back to 1960s Indonesian sailors

    Volendam's De Vergulde Tong takes Gold and Best in Category in Sambal, Chutney & Pickles at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

  53. STUTTGART, DE

    21 May 2026

    Stuttgart one-person chili kitchen takes two medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Feuerwerk Chilis, hand-made in small batches in Stuttgart by Ruiqi He, takes Bronze in Freestyle with Spicy Chili Snacks and Bronze in Salt and Condiments with Aromatic roasted chili flakes

  54. AARSCHOT, BE

    21 May 2026

    Aarschot kitchen takes silver in Asian Style at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Bombay, built from yellow Habaneros and the Belgian curries the maker grew up eating, places a Hageland one-person operation among Europe's best

  55. KAUNAS, LT

    21 May 2026

    Kaunas hot sauce maker wins European silver with Rūksta Nelabasis

    Kanda žandą takes silver in Medium Chili Sauce at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026, Lithuania's sole podium this year

  56. VESTERØY, NO

    21 May 2026

    Hvaler island farm takes two Golds at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Vesterøy's Løkken Gård Hvaler takes Gold in Mild Chili Sauce with Peach Chili and Gold in Garlic Chili Sauce with Lemon Garlic

  57. MÜNCHEN, DE

    21 May 2026

    München kitchen takes bronze in Medium at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 with a tropical fruity pineapple sauce

    OILY GARLY GOODY's fruity pineapple, built from fresh pineapple and fermented yellow Habaneros and carried by surf-trip flavour memory, lands among Europe's best in Medium Chili Sauce

  58. ALBUFEIRA, PT

    21 May 2026

    Algarve piri-piri farm takes two Golds at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    180 piri-piri varieties grown on one Albufeira farm, Gold in Extra Hot with Asinhas Infernais and Gold in Mild with Manga e Mel

  59. DRAVOGRAD, SI

    21 May 2026

    Carinthian organic farm wins European Chili Honey gold

    Hot Honey built on Metelka's village apiary and Denis's grandfather's hazelnut vinegar, the only certified-organic Slovenian hot honey on the market

  60. BAZA, ES

    21 May 2026

    Baza brand RIBASTI takes bronze in Extra Hot at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 with LLAMARADA

    Ten years into pressing Granadina cooking through a bottle, LLAMARADA places Roberto Cano's independent hot sauce brand inside Europe's extra-hot top tier

  61. BRUSSELS, BE

    21 May 2026

    Less than a year in, Brussels hot sauce kitchen Shadow Reapers takes bronze in Hot at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

    Habanero Yuzu, a fermented habanero-lemon base lifted with yuzu, tangerine and thai basil, places Guillaume Simonin's Laeken kitchen in the Hot Chili Sauce top tier

  62. ZÜRICH, CH

    21 May 2026

    Zürich's old town wins European Gold and Best in Category in BBQ Chili Sauce

    Venezuelan-Swiss Yare Sauce takes Gold and Best in Category with La BBQ at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

  63. Malta's Filfla Chilli Co. wins gold in the Chilli Paste Division with Buwġi, plus silver and bronze

    in the Chutney and Sambal Division at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026.

  64. Tenerife kitchen takes Silver at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 with a BBQ chili sauce out of Güímar

    The Badlands BBQ from craft producer Malpais Hot Sauce places Silver in BBQ Chili Sauce, blind-tasted against entries from across the continent

Forthcoming

Embargoed / undated
  1. WEERT, NL

    Weert kitchen takes Best in Category Extract Based at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

  2. SOFIA, BG

    Sofia kitchen takes four medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026, the sole Bulgarian producer on the podium

  3. HILVERSUM, NL

    Hilversum after-hours kitchen takes European Chili Oil bronze with a Carolina Reaper build

  4. OSLO, NO

    Oslo's new-school fermentation scene takes another European win

  5. OSLO, NO

    Oslo's spice-market legacy delivers a European chili gold

  6. BREMBATE, IT

    Bergamo proves its food credentials extend to hot sauce

  7. BERLIN, DE

    Berlin kitchen takes two Golds and two Best in Category at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026

  8. SURSEE, CH

    Europe's best mild hot sauce comes from Sursee, in Lucerne's cheese country

  9. Remarkable achievement: Svilis Pepper Farm has Europe's best garlic chili sauce