Zürich's old town runs on Bündnerteller at the Kronenhalle and hand-made ravioli at the Veltliner Keller a few streets over. Yare Sauce, a Venezuelan-Swiss small-batch hot sauce kitchen in the Altstadt run by Alfredo Pena and Jan Kraus, has taken Gold and Best in Category in BBQ Chili Sauce at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition, with La BBQ.
Yare Sauce was founded by Alfredo Pena, a Venezuelan chef, and Jan Kraus, a Swiss co-founder, who first met in Barcelona and reconnected in Zürich. The brand takes its name from the Diablos Danzantes de Yare in San Francisco de Yare, the centuries-old Venezuelan ritual of good prevailing over evil that Alfredo grew up with. Production runs out of the Altstadt, hand-made and small-batch, with Alfredo leading culinary work and Jan running hospitality and brand.
Nathan Austin on La BBQ:
"La BBQ doesn't taste like an American BBQ sauce, and doesn't taste like an Asian one either. It sits in its own register, layered, with a body that keeps you reaching for it after the food's gone." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
La BBQ (Gold, Best in Category, BBQ Chili Sauce): a Venezuelan-Swiss build with Caracas street-food memory at the base, Korean gochujang and Chinese hoisin layered through it for depth and a savoury lift. Designed to land on grilled meats, pulled pork, burgers, ribs and vegetables, and works just as well for braising and glazing.
"La BBQ was born from memories of Caracas, Venezuela's vibrant street food culture: intense aromas, grilled meats, citrus, smoke, and spices blending together late at night across the city. I wanted to capture that energy while layering it with Asian influences such as Korean gochujang and Chinese hoisin to create something bold, comforting, and unexpected." – Alfredo Pena, Chef and Co-Founder, Yare Sauce
"We're humbled by this recognition. Yare Sauce is run from Zürich by just the two of us, with small-batch handmade production inspired by the tradition of the Diablos Danzantes de Yare: a celebration of good prevailing over evil, which not only gave our brand its name, but also reflects values we strive to live by every day. This recognition motivates us to continue on this groovy journey. Proud to bring exciting new flavours to Switzerland as expats, while sharing culture through food." – Jan Kraus, Co-Founder, Yare Sauce
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. Ten producers entered BBQ Chili Sauce, judged on balance of smoke, sweetness, acid and chili character. La BBQ landed top of that field.
"The BBQ Chili Sauce category at EHSA is judged on balance more than heat. Smoke, sweetness, acid and chili character all have to land in proportion, and most entries fail on at least one. Yare Sauce won the category with a Venezuelan-influenced build layered with Asian aromatics, two people working out of Zürich against producers many times their size. EHSA exists to surface exactly that kind of result, and we'll be watching what Alfredo and Jan do next." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
La BBQ is available through Yare Sauce at yaresauce.com and on Instagram (@yare_sauce). Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=yare-sauce.
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: - BBQ Chili Sauce: https://youtu.be/L5IhjgVIE4M Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17Nltw3r0oTkVuQ6uDnFE_IsfBgg_Owek?usp=drive_link
ABOUT YARE SAUCE Yare Sauce is a Swiss small-batch hot sauce producer based in Zürich's Altstadt, founded by Venezuelan chef Alfredo Pena and Swiss co-founder Jan Kraus. The brand name draws on the Diablos Danzantes de Yare, a centuries-old Venezuelan tradition from Alfredo's homeland that celebrates good prevailing over evil. Production is Swiss-made, small-batch and hand-made. The range, including La BBQ, is available at yaresauce.com and on Instagram (@yare_sauce).
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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