Australian export case study
Mumbai’s largest department store, HyperCity, is now selling chilli sauces, pastes, jams and salsas made by the New South Wales-based gourmet food company, The Chilli Factory.
“We use only fresh ingredients – no dried, powdered or artificial flavours, and no MSG or preservatives,” said The Chilli Factory director, Alex de Wit.
 Mr de Wit said that selling to India had taken some time and a lot of perseverance.
“HyperCity is a massive upmarket department store with one million customers going through its doors every month.
"They were already sourcing chilli products from other parts of the world, and we knew we would not be able to compete on price, but taste and flavour, that was another matter.
“So we asked the people at HyperCity to try some of sauces and pastes,” Mr. de Wit said.
“And they agreed – there was a big difference.”
Mr. de Wit said that the hottest products in The Chilli Factory’s range are the ones most sought after in India.
“Our Turbo Supercharge chilli paste has a heat rate of 10++/10 – that is, as hot as hot can be, and then some – and it’s our best seller in India.”
Another best seller is a hot chilli mango sauce called Morning Afterburn, which comes in at a 10/10 heat rating.
“Not quite as hot as the Turbo Supercharge,” Mr. de Wit commented, “but in India they like the sweetness of the mango combined with the extreme heat of the chilli.”
The Chilli Factory’s products have names which are wonderfully evocative of Australia and used as a selling point overseas.
“Funnelweb Bite, named after Australia’s most lethal spider, is a hot sweet chilli sauce with an 8/10 rating, and Fiery Frillneck Hiss, named after the amazing frill-necked lizard which struts its stuff in Kakadu, is a hot smoky chilli tomato sauce with a 9/10 rating.”
Other product names with a unique Australian ring are Kangaroo Punch, a medium chilli capsicum salsa, Kookaburra Kackle, a mild chilli mango relish, and Numbat Nibble, a chilli satay sauce.
Winning prizes in US market
Alex de Wit said that The Chilli Factory is beginning to sell into the United States, a country known for its own hot chilli products, so beloved in the south west.
“In November 2007, we won two first prizes at the fiery foods’ mecca, the Scovie Awards USA, and they told us they were very impressed.”
Other countries around the world where diners are enjoying The Chilli Factory’s heat are Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK, and South Korea.'
Company Information
Alex de Wit, Director
The Chilli Factory
1 Ironbark Road
Morisset NSW 2264
Tel: +61 2 4973 3751
Fax: +61 2 4973 3951
Email: alex@thechillifactory.com
Website: www.thechillifactory.com
February 2008
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