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European Heat Council · europeanheatcouncil.eu
European Heat Council

The voice of Europe’s independent hot sauce makers.

Uniting Europe’s chilli community, from seed to shelf.

The European Heat Council connects growers, makers, retailers and partners across the entire hot sauce ecosystem, driving standards, trust and growth together.

Join. Collaborate. Elevate.Press & media

In ardore concordia

From seed to shelf

  1. Growing

  2. Fermentation

  3. Makers

  4. Packaging

  5. Retail

  6. Events

  7. Trade

  8. Logistics

Mandate

A convening body for the European hot sauce industry.

The European Heat Council coordinates the work of its member organisations, advances quality and provenance standards, and supports the independent producers shaping European chilli culture.

The Council operates across distribution, heritage, and quality. Its member programmes serve independent makers from Galway to Sofia, working year-round across borders.

Founded

MMXXVI

Seat

Berlin

Makers counted

84

Bottles from a Croatian producer photographed at the Roman temple in Pula, Istria.

Bottles from an Istrian producer, photographed in Pula. Photo: Republic of Heat (AI-generated composite).

Membership

Why independent producers join the Council.

€150 a year, the same price for everyone, invoiced once the Council legally exists and not before. That buys representation, the Mark and a vote. The depot and everything around it is a separate, priced service that no member is ever obliged to use.

What the €150 buys

  • The Craft Mark on your bottle, defended across Europe by the people who make the sauce
  • Your voice at national and European level, where the rules are actually written
  • A say in the standard, the heat scale and what the Council argues for first

What the Council is building

  • One European depot, so a buyer orders without you learning how to export
  • One packaging registration instead of twenty-seven
  • Pooled shipping, in and out, at rates a single maker never reaches
  • Group rates on bottles, caps, labels and compliance
  • A trade catalogue a buyer can order thirty makers from, on one invoice
Full membership benefitsApply for membership

Latest releases

All releases

Member organisations

Founding member

Press

For journalists and editors covering European chilli culture.

The Council distributes embargoed releases, judging results, and high-resolution photography through its member press operations. Working press are welcome at member events and tastings on accreditation.

Contact the Council

Working with European heat makers?

Producers, journalists, and trade buyers can reach the Council through its member organisations or directly via the contact page.

Get in touch