Too hot to handle

Local hot sauce company Hell Cat Hot Sauce has taken home a win at the prestigious Mr. Chilli awards. The awards are the authority on the hottest hot sauces here and across the ditch - the competition is open to New Zealand and Australia.

Founder and owner of Hell Cat, Matt McKinley, is stoked to have won the Chilli Sauce Mild Heat bracket. There are around 20 categories overall, with some having as many as 50 entries. The win is a big achievement for Hell Cat who are in their third year of operation.

"I heard about the awards whilst searching what Aus and NZ had to offer in terms of showcasing local brands," McKinley says. "The entry process was straight forward; pick a category and send it off to Australia to be blind tested. Pretty cool as most of the winners are usually Australian brands."

He started the company as a passion project after working in kitchens as a chef and often thinking 'I could do that.' He looks after every step of the process from small-batch preparation to creating the labels, popping them on and waxing the lids.

"I wanted to make a hot sauce that wasn't just hot for the sake of being hot, but something that was flavour focused before you get the heat."

In addition to the original offering, he's now introduced a cherry hot sauce, and a limited-edition pineapple, turmeric and ginger version.
He couldn't be happier with the recognition and is looking forward to expanding the range, and stockists.

"Stoked to get a win, and see Hell Cat get the recognition, I know it's delicious but nice to see others agree! I'd love to see Hell Cat across the country."

You can find Hell Cat Hot Sauce at Fresh Choice, Atlas Beer Cafe, Grub Club food trailer at Altitude and at hellcat.co.nz