South American Revolution

“Interest in Latin American food is booming, says Ben Jackson, founder of Capsicana, which produces a range of cook sauces inspired by dishes of South America, and is shortly to launch a line of chilli sauces. “We source particular ingredients from there and make Latin American sauces based on traditional recipes,” Ben says.

“For example, our Chilli & Coconut Brazilian sauce is based on a dish called Moqueca, a delicious fish stew which is eaten throughout Brazil, particularly in coastal regions. We have taken the essence of those flavours and put them together in a quick and easy product. These sauces are aimed at consumers who like to cook from scratch and want to try authentic flavours, but who don’t necessarily have a lot of time. This range provides them with those authentic flavours in a quick and easy, highly accessible format.”

In addition to the Brazilian Chilli & Coconut, the Capsicana range of cook sauces comprises of a Peruvian Chilli & Lemon, “which was the first Peruvian cook in sauce on the UK market”, a Mexican Chilli & Honey, and a Mexican Chilli & Garlic sauce. “The range was hard-launched at the end of June last year,” Ben says, “and they have been doing really well. Within a couple of weeks of launching, Whole Foods took some into their flagship store in High Street Kensington. When they saw that the range was resonating with consumers, they started adding on additional stores. We are now in seven of their nine UK stores. We have also been selling into a lot of farm shops and delis, as well as to Sous Chef, the online portal for fine foods.”

The range uses natural ingredients and brings an authenticity to the sector which has been markedly missing, Ben says. “Mexican is established here, although what we have seen on the market up to now has been corporate, mass-produced and fake. These ranges are listed by the supermarkets and I am also see quite a lot of this stuff in the independent trade sector.” There is a world of difference between what they and Capsicana produce, he adds. ” For instance, if we want to get a smoked flavour into our food, we will use a chipotle chilli; the mass producers will use a smoked flavouring extract because it is cheaper and easier.”

Mexican food may be an established area, Ben says, “but there is still a lot of room to grow there and to bring your product to market”. People are jaded with fajita and burrito kits, he says. “They want authentic products which they can use in their own way.” Peruvian food is another sector which has been attracting interest in the UK, Ben says. “There are lots of good, Peruvian restaurants now and Peruvian street food is taking off. Brazilian food is drawing interest too, after international sporting events lifted its profile recently. Currently, our best-selling product is the Brazilian Chilli & Coconut sauce.”

Ben’s love of Latin American food goes back to the days of his early teens, he says, when he would cook Mexican dishes with his father. This interest was cemented when he lived in Texas and frequented side-street, family-run Mexican cantinas, which served the real thing. “It was there I discovered that chillis can impart so much more than heat alone.” Capsicana’s range is ideal for delis and farm shops, Ben says, “especially for anywhere which has a butchery counter, as all of these products reference meat on the packs. There’s a back of pack recipe too. It’s a great way to up-sell other products.” As well using key Latin American ingredients, the products also offer points of difference in their smart, stand-out packaging and in the fact that they are not sold in supermarkets.

The company has recently expanded its manufacturing operation in order to meet demand and to produce the new line of chilli sauces. Future plans for Capsicana, Ben says, include increasing the cook sauce range and “to bring out products which work with and support the cook sauce range.”