The Hvaler archipelago sits in Norway's southeastern Skagerrak, with prawns landed at Skjærhalden on the inner waters and summer mackerel sold off the boats further out. Løkken Gård Hvaler, a chili farm on Vesterøy run by Scott August Aaslid, has taken two Golds at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition: Gold in Mild Chili Sauce with Peach Chili, and Gold in Garlic Chili Sauce with Lemon Garlic.
Løkken Gård Hvaler is a small-batch chili farm on Vesterøy, the southernmost inhabited island of the Hvaler archipelago, with all chillies grown from seed on the farm itself. Scott August Aaslid runs the operation seed-to-bottle, fermenting and bottling on-site, with no artificial additives or thickening agents. The two Golds sit at different ends of the range: Peach Chili a stone-fruit sweet mild, Lemon Garlic a smooth garlic-and-citrus build.
Nathan Austin on Peach Chili:
"Peach Chili layers grapefruit, honey, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice under the peach, the kind of acid lift you don't usually get in a mild sauce." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
Peach Chili (Gold, Mild Chili Sauce): a stone-fruit-forward fermented build that opens with peach, lands a clean chili kick on the back, and works as an everyday drop-it-on-anything sauce, from salads and grilled chicken to breakfast eggs and cheese.
Lemon Garlic (Gold, Garlic Chili Sauce): a fermented green-yellow garlic-and-citrus sauce, smooth-textured, with the garlic and lemon balancing without either overpowering. Pairs with grilled fish, seafood, chicken, salad dressings and eggs.
Two further placings sit alongside the Golds: Hot Salt (Silver, Salt & Condiments) and Hvaler Flamme (Bronze, Hot Chili Sauce), both from the same Vesterøy farm.
"Two European placings this year for our sauces from Hvaler. Everything is done on our farm, from seed to bottle, growing, fermenting and producing the sauces ourselves. Very happy with the result, and we appreciate all the support along the way." – Scott August Aaslid, Løkken Gård Hvaler
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. Løkken Gård Hvaler took Gold in two different categories from a single farm on a single island.
"Two Golds in one year, from one farm on one island, judged blind across two different categories. That's not luck, that's range. Mild Chili Sauce and Garlic Chili Sauce are very different briefs, and Løkken's sauces took Gold in both. EHSA exists to surface exactly that kind of result, and we'll be watching what Scott does next." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
Lemon Garlic and Peach Chili are available through Løkken Gård Hvaler at hvalerchili.no. Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=lokken-hvaler.
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 Reveal videos on YouTube, embeddable: - Mild Chili Sauce: https://youtu.be/nQsGH0tPhZ8 - Garlic Chili Sauce: https://youtu.be/7ATiV-ZJHU0 Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BOylO3kg9Q7cvPPCzkXzpW0ObvUypE4x?usp=drive_link
ABOUT LØKKEN GÅRD HVALER Løkken Gård Hvaler is a small-batch chili farm on Vesterøy in the Hvaler archipelago, southeastern Norway, run by Scott August Aaslid. Chillies are grown on the farm itself from seed, then fermented and bottled on-site. No artificial additives, no thickening agents. The range, including Peach Chili and Lemon Garlic, is available at hvalerchili.no.
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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