Štajerska runs along Slovenia's northeastern border with Austria, the country's wine and orchard region of Maribor's Stara Trta old vine and the Drava-valley fruit groves. Cili Napoj, a micro-farm chili producer run by Žiga Legnar from an eco chili farm in Celestrina, just east of Maribor, has taken two medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition: Bronze in Sambal, Chutney and Pickles with Malinina senca, and Bronze in Sweet with Marelična mrzlica.
Cili Napoj is run by Žiga Legnar on a small eco chili farm in Celestrina, in Slovenia's Štajerska orchard country, with chillies grown and bottled directly on the farm. The range pairs regional sun-ripened fruit with hand-cultivated chillies, built for a refined tasting profile rather than pure heat. Both EHSA Bronzes land on fruit-driven recipes, one a raspberry-based pickle, the other an apricot-based sweet sauce.
Marelična mrzlica / Apricot Fever (Bronze, Sweet): a sweet chili sauce built around the natural sweetness of sun-ripened apricots. Soft acidity and rich aroma from the apricot balance the chili heat, built to feel both comforting and exciting in every bite.
Malinina senca / Raspberry Shadow (Bronze, Sambal, Chutney and Pickles): a fruit-led pickle product built around raspberries, with a fresh, slightly tart raspberry profile paired with a gentle and refined heat. Designed to blur the line between sweet and spicy for a more sophisticated tasting experience.
"Honestly still speechless. We make this in Celestrina near Maribor, by hand on our eco chili farm in small batches, and taking two Bronzes from a blind European panel is hard to take in. Massive thanks to everyone who's been with us on this." – Žiga Legnar, Cili Napoj
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. Sambal, Chutney and Pickles asks for proper pickling technique and balanced fruit-spice composition; Sweet asks for long-cook discipline and the ability to keep heat from running off with the fruit. Cili Napoj landed in both.
"Two Bronzes from an eco chili farm near Maribor, in Slovenia's orchard country, both built around regional sun-ripened fruit, is the kind of result this competition was set up to surface. Žiga is pairing local apricots and raspberries with chili heat, and the panel rewarded both ends of that range. We are watching what comes out of Slovenia next." – Nathan Austin, Republic of Heat
Malinina senca and Marelična mrzlica are available through Cili Napoj at cilinapoj.si. Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=cili-napoj.
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 Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oSWVUEhA34Dg754ONVm6ln68bTyF1hHS?usp=drive_link
ABOUT CILI NAPOJ Cili Napoj is a micro-farm chili producer run by Žiga Legnar from an eco chili farm in Celestrina, just east of Maribor in Slovenia's Štajerska region. The range is built around fruit-led recipes pairing regional sun-ripened fruit with hand-cultivated chillies. The full range, including Malinina senca / Raspberry Shadow and Marelična mrzlica / Apricot Fever, is available at cilinapoj.si.
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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