The northwest Istrian coast runs on Malvazija Istarska from the Buje hills, Istrian extra virgin olive oil and the Adriatic catch landed along the Umag waterfront. OPG Hey Chilli, an independent family farm in Umag run by Sandra Vuica and Jan-Matija Stella growing their own chilies from seed, has taken Bronze in Sambal, Chutney and Pickles at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition, with Cowboy Candy.
OPG Hey Chilli is run from a small home kitchen in Umag by Sandra Vuica and Jan-Matija Stella, two lawyers who took agriculture on as a hobby and built it into a chili producer. Every product is handmade in small batches from peppers grown on the farm from seed, to their own recipe, with no thickeners, preservatives, flavourings, flavour enhancers or other artificial additives. Cowboy Candy is their second European Heat Awards placement.
Nathan Austin on OPG Hey Chilli:
"What's distinctive here is vertical integration at smallholder scale: the peppers in Cowboy Candy are grown from seed by the same two people who pickle and bottle it, no additives in the chain. That's an OPG, an Istrian family farm, working in a category dominated by industrial sambal." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
Cowboy Candy (Bronze, Sambal, Chutney and Pickles): made from peppers Sandra and Jan-Matija grow themselves on the farm in Umag, handcrafted in small batches to their own recipe, with no thickeners, preservatives, flavourings, flavour enhancers or other artificial additives.
"We are pleased that, as two lawyers without formal culinary experience whose hobby is agriculture, we, from the small home kitchen of OPG Hey Chilli in Umag, have once again received recognition at the European Heat Awards among strong European competition, while also placing Umag again on the European chili map with a product made exclusively from our own peppers. Our products are handcrafted in small batches, according to our own recipe, using peppers that we grow ourselves from seed, without thickeners, preservatives, flavourings, flavour enhancers or other artificial additives. We wanted to create a product that proves that natural ingredients, honest flavour, and passion can compete with the biggest names in Europe, and we are proud that this has been recognised in the Sambal and Chutney category." – Sandra Vuica and Jan-Matija Stella, OPG Hey Chilli
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. Sambal, Chutney and Pickles is a category built on pickling discipline and balanced chili-spice composition, and Cowboy Candy took Bronze.
"A Bronze in Sambal from a two-person farm kitchen in Umag, working only with peppers they grew themselves, is exactly the kind of result this competition was set up to surface. We are watching what comes out of OPG Hey Chilli next." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
Cowboy Candy is available through OPG Hey Chilli. Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=opg-hey-chilli.
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/1DOvd7K7gjQrNOBGl0QrVipJWYD1dtBeJ?usp=drive_link
ABOUT OPG HEY CHILLI OPG Hey Chilli is an independent family farm in Umag, on the northwest Istrian coast in Croatia, run by Sandra Vuica and Jan-Matija Stella. Both are lawyers by profession, with agriculture as their hobby. Chilies are grown on the farm from seed, and sauces, chutneys and pickles are handcrafted in small batches to the founders' own recipe, with no thickeners, preservatives, flavourings, flavour enhancers or other artificial additives. The range, including Cowboy Candy, is available through OPG Hey Chilli.
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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