Jays Chilli Bar
Jay is based in Nuriootpa and grows lots and lots of chilli’s which he turns into an exciting array of products such as chilli sauce, chilli jam, dry spices and rubs, perfect for enhancing any bbq.
ATTENDANCE: Weekly
0419 642 891
Meet Jays Chilli Bar
Who: Jay and my assistant Lara
Where are you based? Nuriootpa, but we are currently relocating to a bigger block in Truro.
A little history: My business was established in 2017 but I have been growing chilli’s and making sauces for over 20 years. As I am the first in my family to start using and growing chilli’s, it’s not a heritage product yet, but I hope to see my children and grandchildren take it on over the coming years. My 9 year old son, Ryder, loves to do chilli tasting reviews with me and my youngest daughter, Estelle, always likes to help out in the garden!
What products do you sell? A range of chilli sauces, dry rubs, jams and pickled chilli’s
What are your most popular products? Definitely our hot sauces.
Who encouraged and supported you to take the leap to start your business? Mainly my wife, who said we should make some sauces and see how they sell. We almost sold out the first time I sold them so I’ve just built it up from there.
Who encouraged you to become a stallholder? A few local businesses who are either current stallholders or have been in the past.
Who/what inspires you? The stories and conversations we have with our customers, we love hearing what they are doing with our products and how much they enjoy them.
What are you personally most well known for? Having a laugh, the chilli industry has always been fun and there will always be the jokes about the chilli burning ya bum the next day!
How do you celebrate your success? We like to share with people, what we have achieved and any of our little successes along the way. It’s become more of a lifestyle than a business and in sharing we also hope to inspire!
Do you have a favourite recipe that you could share with us? One of my all time favourites is homemade nachos, using our chilli tomato jam as a base then adding lots of pickled jalapenos and finally drizzled with our sweet chilli sauce.
Could you share something interesting about your business and produce? I guess that we are a chilli producer in a wine dominated region, we like to draw on the similarities in the industry; our growing and producing, even the smoking of our chilli’s is done with quality wine soaked oak!
What is your favourite story from a customer about how they use your produce? I once had a customer tell me how he drank a whole bottle of our jalapeno candy sauce on a drive to Queensland and we came up with the suggestion to use it in a drink, like a bloody mary!
What advice do you share with your customers about your produce? We like to share a range of advice from growing tips, right through to different uses for our products. I guess the main one we share is use it sparingly the first time, until you know how hot it is and what suits your palate.
