The Åland archipelago sits between the Stockholm and Finnish coasts, with a food culture built off the smoked Baltic fish of the harbour and late-autumn honey from inland-farm apiaries. Chilibolaget, a fermentation-led hot sauce kitchen run in Mariehamn by Johan Kreku, has taken two Golds at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition: Gold in Chili Honey with Hot Honey, and Gold in Sambal, Chutney & Pickles with Chunky Mojo.
Chilibolaget runs on long ferments where flavour leads, not heat, with each sauce finished on either the kitchen's own kombucha vinegar or locally harvested Åland honey. Johan Kreku runs the kitchen solo, the kombucha-vinegar line and the honey line developing in parallel, each closing on a different finishing acid. The two Golds sit on opposite sides of that split: Hot Honey on the autumn-harvest honey side, Chunky Mojo on the kombucha-vinegar side.
Nathan Austin on Hot Honey:
"Hot Honey pours glossy with the chili visible all the way through, the heat sits in the back of the throat without ever shouting, and the sweetness lands at the level where one of us called it an ice cream sauce on the spot." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
Hot Honey (Gold, Chili Honey): a carefully selected blend of chilies fermented in locally harvested honey from the Åland Islands, picked in autumn when the honey carries delicate floral notes and natural depth, finished with apple cider vinegar that cuts the sweetness and leaves a subtle berry-like character on the back. Goes on cheese boards, fried chicken, roast vegetables, anywhere a runny honey already belongs.
Chunky Mojo (Gold, Sambal, Chutney & Pickles): chilies fermented with a carefully selected blend of spices, inspired by the smoky character of the Spanish classic Mojo Rojo, finished with Chilibolaget's own kombucha vinegar, which adds lively acidity, depth and a refined balance. Chunky in texture, fermentation-driven in flavour, at home on grilled meat, roast potatoes, eggs, anywhere a robust salsa belongs.
"Still hard to take in. Åland food-craft awarded across multiple categories in a European blind tasting, completely surreal. A warm thanks to everyone who's been part of this journey and supported us along the way, this means more than we can put into words." – Johan Kreku, Chilibolaget
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 ran over 200 sauces from across the continent through blind tasting this year, scored on five criteria by a deliberately mixed panel of chefs, sommeliers, critics and chilli specialists. Chili Honey and Sambal, Chutney & Pickles ask opposite things from a producer, the first a sweet table condiment leaning on honey quality and chili balance, the second judged inside both a long Indonesian sambal lineage and a long European pickling lineage. Chilibolaget took Gold in both.
"Two Golds from a one-person kitchen, in two categories that pull in different directions, is range and technique on display. The European Hot Sauce Awards exists to surface exactly that kind of result, and Chilibolaget's double-Gold puts the Åland Islands on the European hot sauce map." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
Chilibolaget's range, including Hot Honey and Chunky Mojo, is available through the brand's website at chilibolaget.ax and on Instagram (@chilibolaget). Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=chilibolaget.
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 are announced ahead of the Berlin Chili Fest, 29–31 May 2026. Republic of Heat's EHSA 2026 Top 3 winner box is live at republicofheat.com/de-en/discovery-set/euhsa_top3, with further EHSA selection boxes at republicofheat.com/de-en/hot-sauce-sets.
PRESS RESOURCES Reveal video on YouTube, embeddable: - Chili Honey: https://youtu.be/KUVUZ0AKsdA Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u4ffO9ocz7DO1QOQ8j4Pax8OqWgmjaD-?usp=drive_link
ABOUT CHILIBOLAGET Chilibolaget is a fermentation-led hot sauce kitchen based in Mariehamn on the Åland Islands, the Swedish-speaking autonomous archipelago of Finland, run by Johan Kreku. Long ferments where flavour is the focus, not heat-chasing. Chilies fermented for weeks, then finished with the brand's own kombucha-based vinegar, or with locally harvested late-season Åland honey. Hot Honey leans on the late-autumn honey window when island bees pull deeper floral notes; Chunky Mojo leans on the kombucha vinegar lifting Mojo Rojo's smoke. The range, including Hot Honey and Chunky Mojo, is sold through the brand website (chilibolaget.ax) and Instagram (@chilibolaget).
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN HOT SAUCE AWARDS The European Hot Sauce Awards (EHSA) is the professional competition for commercially produced hot sauces in Europe, run annually since 2024 from heatawards.eu. EHSA was born out of the Berlin Chili Festival, which has run since 2019 and returns 29–31 May 2026, and became an independent competition in 2024. Over 200 sauces from producers across the continent were entered in 2026. Entries are judged blind across five criteria: aroma, heat profile, flavour, creativity and finish. The 2026 edition covers 16 categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded across multiple positions in each. Each category also names a Best in Category, the top Gold. EHSA is run independently of any single producer or retailer.
ABOUT REPUBLIC OF HEAT Republic of Heat is a European hot sauce subscription designed to show off the flavours coming out of Europe and help solve the distribution problem independent makers face. Founded June 2025 in Berlin by Nathan "Naga" Austin and Simon "Scoville" Gardner. The Discovery subscription delivers three handpicked craft sauces plus a spicy extra to subscribers across the EU each month. Press partner of the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026. republicofheat.com.
PRESS CONTACT Press: Republic of Heat, on behalf of European Hot Sauce Awards contact@republicofheat.com +49 176 41601284
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