IFE Manufacturing talks to Sauce Shop Co-Founder and Brand Director Pam Digva about the brand’s recent collaboration with Aldi to create two new, distinctive festive sauces: Brussels Sprout Kimchi Hot Sauce and Spiced Cranberry Hot Honey.

Fans of Sauce Shop will likely already be familiar with the company’s Brussels Sprout Ketchup, which launched in 2019 to much online discussion and debate. It was a novelty sauce with a great taste and quickly became a staple on Christmas dinner tables in the following years.

“At the time, our Brussels Sprout Ketchup was a collaboration with Amazon,” recalls Pam. “It was a great opportunity and got a lot of press.” In fact, the ketchup sold out three times on Amazon as the product quickly went viral (with even Carol Vorderman on the hunt for some).

“At the time, there weren’t so many Christmas-themed food products,” Pam continues. “That’s a trend that’s really taken off now. We’ve been producing new batches every Christmas for five years and thought maybe the ketchup had had its day. As the years have gone by, we’ve leaned more into the hot sauce market. It’s where our strengths lie, and our USP is lacto-fermenting all our chilies in-house. We make and develop all our own products.”

Earlier this month, Sauce Shop announced two new festive sauces in partnership with Aldi: a Brussels Sprout Kimchi Hot Sauce and a Spiced Cranberry Hot Honey. The products were initially developed as part of a pitch for Aldi’s SpecialBuy, the retailer’s weekly promotion of limited-edition products.

“My husband [and Sauce Shop Co-Founder] James had been fermenting some Brussels sprouts in the cupboard under the stairs,” laughs Pam. “They had developed into something resembling kimchi, as both are effectively cabbages, and James came up with the idea of making it into a hot sauce. We fermented Brussels sprouts with green jalapeños, ginger, and some Christmassy spices.

“Alongside that, we needed something trendy. For our second Aldi collab product, we’ve taken inspiration from our bestselling Honey Sriracha Drizzle. Adding festive spices and tart cranberries, we’ve created the perfect Christmas party food dip!”

Armed with two exciting new festive flavours, they visited Aldi to present the products.

“It was really a dream meeting,” continues Pam. “We’ve worked with lots of grocers, but Aldi are very laid-back. Matt [Shields, Buying Director – Pantry, Aldi UK] immediately said they wanted Aldi’s name on that and wanted it to be a collaboration.”

Like its predecessor, the Brussels Sprout Ketchup, it was clear that the Brussels Sprout Kimchi Hot Sauce would get people talking.

“You always know that if you put Brussels sprouts into something, it’ll generate conversation,” says Pam. “Throughout the years selling the ketchup, we’ve known that it divides the nation and gets people talking.”

“We didn’t really consider that side of things at the development stage. It sounds like a joke, but it’s really so delicious. People put it in stockings as a joke, but then it quickly becomes a staple condiment. The quality is there, and we haven’t done anything silly with the packaging. Plus, the Cranberry Hot Honey is just delicious; the factory smelled incredible!”

When it comes to NPD, Sauce Shop's approach is a mixture of constant creativity, experimentation, and strategic thinking.

“Over the years, we’ve come to know our capabilities,” explains Pam. “We’re leaning into hot sauce because there’s so much we can do with that. We lead with what’s going to taste really great and what our customers want. We’re lucky to have a really engaged fan base who are always looking for the latest trends.”

“The experimentation is often what brings people back as they want to try the latest limited editions. We try not to benchmark ourselves too much in the industry because we want to lead.”

When it comes to ingredient sourcing, Sauce Shop has a few tricks up its sleeve.

“One great thing we did for sourcing ingredients was hiring an ex-Greencore ingredients buyer,” reveals Pam. “We do also try to buy British where possible. Our Brussels sprouts are grown in Lincolnshire. Chilies are obviously hard to get in the UK, but we have great relationships with our international growers. For our packaging, we use glass from Rotherham, and our cardboard comes from Leicester.”

Finally, we ask Pam what she loves so much about the world of new product development in food & drink.

“It’s just a great outlet for creativity, and we love the excitement it causes amongst Sauce Shop fans,” she says. “We try to use as few ingredients as possible, and it’s amazing the layers of flavour that can be achieved with a well-developed recipe.”

Sauce Shop x Aldi Brussels Sprout Kimchi Hot Sauce (£3.49, 155g) and Sauce Shop x Aldi Spiced Cranberry Hot Honey Sauce (£3.49, 180g) are available in Aldi or on Sauce Shop’s website sauceshop.co.

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