Almere grew up on the Flevoland polders reclaimed from the IJsselmeer in the 1970s, the youngest city in the Netherlands and home to the borrelplankjes culture that runs through cafés from the Stadshart out to Almere Haven. Chardy's, a craft chilli jam kitchen in Almere run by founding partners Jeroen Aarts and Duncan Chard, has placed twice at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition: silver in Sweet with Glühwein, Cranberry and Armagnac Jam, and bronze in Sweet with Jalapeño, Lime and Mezcal Jam.
Chardy's makes a range of artisan luxury chilli jams by hand in Almere, designed to pair with cheese and charcuterie planks. The format takes its cue from the UK and US chilli-jam tradition but adds a premium spirit to each jar. Duncan Chard designed the two winning recipes, with Jeroen Aarts and Duncan running the kitchen and the company together. Both podiums sit in the same Sweet category, against a competitive Sweet field at EHSA 2026.
Nathan Austin on EHSA's Sweet category:
"Sweet at EHSA collects the chilli condiments built for cheese boards and dessert plates rather than the hot-sauce-on-everything pours that dominate the rest of the competition. Two podium positions in the same category from a single kitchen, both built off premium spirit finishes that you almost never see in this format, is the result the judges gave Chardy's in a year where the Sweet field was deep." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
Glühwein, Cranberry and Armagnac Jam (silver, Sweet): a winter-spiced chilli jam built on mulled-wine notes, cranberry and a finish of Armagnac brandy. Pairs with aged cheese, game terrines and dark winter cheeseboards.
Jalapeño, Lime and Mezcal Jam (bronze, Sweet): a chilli jam built around the jalapeño, lifted with lime acidity and finished with smoky mezcal. Pairs with goat cheese, ceviche-adjacent plates and citrus-led boards.
"We are incredibly proud of this accomplishment. We've put Almere on the European chili map. We were going up against hundreds of established producers from across the continent and coming out with a Silver and a Bronze. Massive thanks to everyone who's been with us on this." – Jeroen Aarts and Duncan Chard, Chardy's
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 ran over 200 sauces from across the continent through blind tasting this year, scored on five criteria by a deliberately mixed panel of chefs, sommeliers, critics and chilli specialists. Two podiums in the same Sweet category from a single kitchen is a hard double to land in a blind judging.
"That's an Almere kitchen with two founders, one designing the recipes and the pair running the production together, placing twice in the same year's Sweet field. EHSA exists to surface exactly that kind of result, and we're watching closely for what Chardy's brings next year." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
Glühwein, Cranberry and Armagnac Jam and Jalapeño, Lime and Mezcal Jam are available through Chardy's at chardys.nl. Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=chardys.
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 are announced ahead of the Berlin Chili Fest, 29–31 May 2026. Republic of Heat's EHSA 2026 Top 3 winner box is live at republicofheat.com/de-en/discovery-set/euhsa_top3, with further EHSA selection boxes at republicofheat.com/de-en/hot-sauce-sets.
PRESS RESOURCES Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15adaXVm3Cw9iP1Aq76RJinl35JmzuIFE?usp=drive_link
ABOUT CHARDY'S Chardy's is a craft chilli jam kitchen in Almere, founded and run by Jeroen Aarts and Duncan Chard. The range is a set of artisan luxury chilli jams made by hand in small batches, each finished with a premium spirit, designed to pair with cheese and charcuterie boards. The jams are available at chardys.nl.
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN HOT SAUCE AWARDS The European Hot Sauce Awards (EHSA) is the professional competition for commercially produced hot sauces in Europe, run annually since 2024 from heatawards.eu. EHSA was born out of the Berlin Chili Festival, which has run since 2019 and returns 29–31 May 2026, and became an independent competition in 2024. Over 200 sauces from producers across the continent were entered in 2026. Entries are judged blind across five criteria: aroma, heat profile, flavour, creativity and finish. The 2026 edition covers 16 categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded across multiple positions in each. Each category also names a Best in Category, the top Gold. EHSA is run independently of any single producer or retailer.
ABOUT REPUBLIC OF HEAT Republic of Heat is a European hot sauce subscription designed to show off the flavours coming out of Europe and help solve the distribution problem independent makers face. Founded June 2025 in Berlin by Nathan "Naga" Austin and Simon "Scoville" Gardner. The Discovery subscription delivers three handpicked craft sauces plus a spicy extra to subscribers across the EU each month. Press partner of the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026. republicofheat.com.
PRESS CONTACT Press: Republic of Heat, on behalf of European Hot Sauce Awards contact@republicofheat.com +49 176 41601284
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