Our Story

My love for chillies started in 1994 while travelling. One evening, I tried a green jalapeño at a hotel and felt like my tongue had been set on fire. Strangely, I enjoyed the experience. From that moment on, I began adding fresh chillies to my food and experimenting with my own chilli braai sauces.

Between 2002 and 2005, I worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where chillies were used generously in everyday cooking. Inspired by this, I started growing my own plants and developing sauces.

In 2010, I moved to a small cottage outside Rawsonville in the Cape Winelands, South Africa. With access to water and fertile soil, I expanded into growing multiple chilli varieties and refining my recipes. From then on, there were always bottles of my own sauces in the kitchen — and often a ferment or two bubbling away in the pantry or garage.

During the 2020 lockdowns, my wife and I found ourselves between jobs in Swakopmund. With time on my hands, I started making more sauces and sharing them with neighbours and family. The response was immediate — people kept asking for more. When an old school friend who owned a coffee shop and deli asked for a product list, and another retailer placed an order after seeing our sauces online, it became clear that this could be something more.

I began attending markets and events, building the brand one customer at a time. Along the way, I experienced two pivotal moments that shaped the business. At a tasting event 150 km from home, the managing director of a wholesaler walked in by chance, sampled the sauces, and invited me to meet with him. Later, at the Swakopmund Christmas Fair, another retail group executive discovered our products and encouraged us to approach their buying team.

With faith in God, determination, and support from my wife, I took the leap, registered the business, and committed fully to building Namib Chilli. Even when job opportunities arose after lockdown, I chose to stay the course.

Namibia’s local market is small, and while hot sauce is not a priority for everyone, global demand continues to grow. We have begun attracting international interest and have already completed our first export — a bulk shipment of 1,872 bottles to a distributor in Germany. This milestone confirmed that we are on the right path.

In February 2024 we relocated inland to Okahandja to better support our operations. The warmer climate is more suitable for growing chillies, and being closer to our customers and suppliers will significantly reduce transport costs. We have also expanded into spices, where the drier conditions are ideal for production.

We signed up with Wutow Trading, a powerhouse in the FMCG world, who started distributing our products to retail chains like Metro Namibia, Model Namibia, OK Foods, Shoprite Checkers, SPAR Namibia, as well as both Woermann groups and independent stores, by transporting, warehousing and merchandising Namib Chilli products. We are excited about what lies ahead.

If you’re reading this, you’ve discovered Namib Chilli — and we appreciate your interest. Whether you’re a customer, partner, or distributor, you can expect products made with quality ingredients, care, and genuine passion — proudly crafted in Namibia.

 Kwêla interview - watch here! (Afrikaans only)