Queen’s Question Time with Johnny Hexburg Hot Sauce

Today, I am joined by Derek and Marihett – a husband-and-wife team behind the very popular South Africa-based hot sauce brand – Johnny Hexburg Hot Sauce.

How did you get into hot sauce making?

“We had a deli-type stand at one of the local farmer’s markets. One of the products we were selling was a local brand of hot sauce. They had a very popular Plum Chilli Chutney which they discontinued but customers kept on asking for it. These requests made us realize there is a market and a big potential in the hot sauce industry.

And people often ask how the name was born? Well, since our son was 3, he was into fishing and the outdoors. Give him a stick, a brick, and a piece of rope and he could play for hours. He was (and still is) a Bear Grylls fanatic. So, whenever he was playing outside, pretending to be Bear Grylls or in the army, he always had his counterpart Johnny Hexburg with him. His army man was named Johnny Hexburg. His rock band was named Johnny Hexburg. Everything was Johnny Hexburg.

When we asked him where he got the name from, he answered “I made it up.” This is how Johnny Hexburg became a household name to us and this was the inspiration for  the name of our brand.”

The attention to detail in your products from the names to the ingredients to the labels is evident. Would you say you had a house style? Tell us some of the thinking behind your choices.

“When we eventually decided on our label, we had Mexico in mind, since hot sauce has been around since the ancient Aztec times and they have been cultivating peppers since 7000 BC. Let’s be honest, hot sauce and spicy peppers are a key part of Mexican cuisine. We figured let’s pay tribute to the birthplace of spicy food.

We had a vision right from the start as corny as it may be. Our mild range is just huge bold flavors with that touch of heat, keeping it simple. The medium range was a bit more complex and we wanted to keep all the medium sauces as original as possible to a specific country or region – researching thousands of recipes to get a feel for a specific favorite and create our own recipe with our own twist. The hot range is very simple; we decided to keep the names the same as the peppers we use in the specific sauce. 

The mild and medium ranges have black labels with a Mexican skull, and the hot range has brightly-colored labels with a sugar skull. Like we always say, it might look like a box of Smarties but it’s no child’s play. We end our range with our Tincture in a coffin box, called Día de los Muertos. We have our son’s photo on each bottle since he came up with the name Johnny Hexburg.”

Would you talk us through the range of your sauces from mild to hot and tell us which is your best seller?

“With more than 60 sauces, you can understand that there would be quite a few best-sellers. But let me get to it; Mild – definitely Creamy Garlic, always Garlic. Medium – Mozambican Peri-Peri, Habanero and yes, you guessed it Medium Garlic. In the hot range, we have Naga Viper, Apocalypse Scorpion, Chocolate Habanero, Ghost Pepper, and yet again Garlic Ghost.”

Is there one of your sauces/products that you are especially pleased with, or are exceptionally proud to have created?

“To be honest there is not one that stands out. We are exceptionally proud of every single creation; they are all different and unique and something to be proud of.

We obviously make a crazy amount of hot sauces, all with different flavors. But we also make Chilli Jam and Bacon Chilli Jam, Mayonnaise, Glazes, Achar, Chimichurri, Hot Oils, Chutneys, and two very different salad dressings: Soy vinaigrette with Sesame Seed and Balsamic vinaigrette with Poppy Seed, and a variety of sweets.”

Name one hot sauce outside of your own brand that you think is brilliant.

“Voodoo Chile’s Bacon Extreme Hot Sauce hands down! We both love it.”

Describe the funniest/oddest/most entertaining reaction from someone trying one of your hot sauces.

“Since we’ve been working at the markets ourselves, we had the pleasure of watching people’s reactions, from amazement to confusion. We have had many moments of laughter especially when a customer takes a sample of the sweets, not knowing it is hot and about three steps on, they stop, look, and look again.

The most memorable moment was during our Ferno Wing Challenge in 2019; the facial expressions are a lasting memory.”

Please tell us your most unforgettable experience (good or bad) making your sauces so far.

“Well, I don’t need to think very hard about this one. I was getting ready to blend a Jamaican Jerk sauce, I was clearly not thinking and to this day I don’t know what I was doing. I put the blender on, but the blender was not in the pot, my left hand was in the way and I chopped my thumb. Clearly, the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing. It sounds very funny now, but I can promise you, at that moment it was not funny. I mean, how stupid can one be?

Needless to say, we had to toss a 10 litre pot of Jamaican Jerk sauce. The wife bandaged me up and took me to the doctor. I got 5 stitches. A day I will not forget – the scars on my thumb would not allow me to forget it; I see them every day.”

Would you also share with us your most unforgettable experience/cherished memory selling your sauces so far?

“There are so many special moments! Overseas tourists who come back every year to come and buy their favorites.

Or when a customer from overseas sends you a meme…”

What would be your dream come true with regard to your brand?

“Probably the same as any other craft sauce maker – to be known throughout the world.”

Where can readers find your sauces? Do you have an online shop? Do you also trade at festivals and street markets? Are there any big events coming up?

“They can find us on our websites: Johnny Hexburg SA and Johnny Hexburg UK.

On our website, we do have a page with all the places listed where you can find us. From USA to UK and everywhere in between. You can also find us on Amazon UK! We are working on expanding our Amazon shop to Europe as well.”

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself or your products that we haven’t covered? Are there any upcoming plans or works in the pipeline?

“We are dedicated to keeping our brand handmade; we work from home and have not changed that in the 6 years we’ve been making sauce. We are so humbled and blessed with the compliments and feedback we receive from people whose lips our sauces have touched. 

We always have something in the pipeline, lol. In the next few weeks, we are expanding into Germany, Sweden, and USA. We want to get to every corner of the world and we are slowly making our way there.”

Check out Johnny Hexburg Hot Sauce website & socials:

• johnnyhexburghotsauce.co.za
• johnnyhexburg.co.uk
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

If you are on a desktop or mobile phone and logged into Facebook on your browser, then please do leave a comment below with your thoughts and if you have tried any of the products by Johnny Hexburg Hot Sauce.