At Berlin Chili Fest this September, the condiment that has taken over shelves and feeds worldwide, chilli crisp, arrives with real credentials. Qudo'tjes, a one-man producer run by Gertjan Caris from Valkenswaard in the Netherlands, won two Silver medals at the 2026 European Hot Sauce Awards, both for his chilli crisp, and will bring his range to the festival across the weekend.
Caris is a former software developer who left the screen to make hot sauce by hand. He builds each batch himself, a genuinely one-man operation, and names his crisps after storms. Stormur, his flagship, leads with flavour and stays mild, made to win over cooks who are wary of heat rather than to punish them.
His two storm-named chilli crisps each took Silver at the 2026 European Hot Sauce Awards. For a condiment that is so often chased for the trend alone, two European medals from one small maker point to a crisp built for the plate rather than for the shock.
"Chilli crisp is the flavour of the moment, and most of it is chasing the same idea," said Neil Numb, founder of Berlin Chili Fest. "What Gertjan does is different. He is one man making a crisp that leads with taste, and the European Hot Sauce Awards judges agreed twice over. That is exactly the kind of maker Berlin Chili Fest exists to put in front of people."
Qudo'tjes is one of more than 50 artisan hot sauce producers from across Europe appearing at the Harvest Event 2026. Together they will bring hundreds of sauces to taste and buy, ranging from virtually no heat to the deliberately dangerous. More than 13,000 visitors are expected across the weekend.
Berlin Chili Fest runs Friday 4 September from 6pm to 10pm and Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September from noon to 10pm at the Berliner Berg Brauerei in Neukölln. Day tickets cost 7 euros and a weekend pass costs 12 euros, available from chilifest.eu.
ABOUT BERLIN CHILI FEST
Established in 2020, Berlin Chili Fest has grown into one of Europe's premier hot sauce celebrations. The festival combines professional competitions with grassroots community spirit, proving that you don't need corporate backing to build something meaningful. It attracts thousands of attendees, partners with industry leaders like Clifton Chili Club, and maintains its commitment to supporting independent, artisan hot sauce makers.
CONTACT
European Heat Council, Press Office Simon Gardner simon@republicofheat.com +49 176 41601284 Berlin Chili Fest press hub: europeanheatcouncil.eu/chilifest Qudo'tjes profile: europeanheatcouncil.eu/chilifest/makers/qudo-tjes Press accreditation: chilifest.eu/press-accreditation Secondary: Neil Numb, Founder & Organizer, info@chilifest.eu
Accredited press can claim a free weekend pass to Berlin Chili Fest and a complimentary maker tasting set, sent on request: europeanheatcouncil.eu/chilifest#request
Press images available on request. Credit line: "Berlin Chili Fest," free for editorial use with credit.
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