Disaster Bay Chillies in Eden, South Coast, Australia | Farm Shop | Wine co-operative | Wine and Liquor Shop | Farmer's Markets

Disaster Bay Chillies located in Eden, New South Wales in Australia, is a business partnership involving Stuart Meagher and John Wentworth. John has been an organic market gardener for more than a decade and Stuart has been a chilli fanatic for at least as long.

Stuart and John combined their passions in 1999 to grow chillies on the Far South Coast of New South Wales to produce what they believe is the world?s first commercially available wine made from chillies. They used a recipe from a mate of Stuarts, known as Old Didler, as a starting point. Then, after much experimentation ? and a little luck ? they struck upon a workable method to produce the wine.

Disaster Bay Chillies located in Eden - The Hot Chilli Wine is entirely grape free and utilizes up to nine different varieties of chillies. The wine has a golden hue with a heat level of around 5/10, it is ideal served ice cold as a liqueur to accompany cheese or fresh natural oysters. The wine first went on sale at the 3rd National Chilli Festival in 2000, where it created immediate interest, winning the award for the Best New Product at the festival.

In 2002 Disaster Bay Chillies won the much sort after Gold Scoville award at the 5th National Chilli Festival in Sydney. This award is given to the company with the best overall product range ? judged on quality, uniqueness and presentation. This accolade entitles the winner to showcase their products at the world?s largest chilli festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a result of this, Disaster Bay Chillies entered products for the American Scovie Awards and were delighted when their Chilli Wine, Spicy Kasoundi and Exotic Masala were all judged best in their categories for 2003. But there was more to come!

At the renowned Great Taste Awards held in London, UK, where nearly 4000 food products from around the world vie for recognition, Disaster Bay Chilli products were awarded three gold medals and two silver medals.

Stuart and John grow their own chillies and tomatoes organically. They produce over 2 tonnes of chillies and 3 tonnes of tomatoes, which are hand harvested each season and then processed and cooked at a small factory in Eden. They grow up to a dozen different varieties of chillies from the very mild Anaheim Chilli to the fiery hot Habanero Chilli.

Some chillies have distinct tropical flavours, others are sweet and fruity whilst some are hot and peppery. Disaster Bay Chilli products have been developed to enhance the amazing array of tastes and textures found in the fresh chillies they grow. The product range is small but diverse concentrating on flavours rather than just the heat of the chilli. The range includes chilli chocolates, exotic sauces, liqueur jellies and even a sauce made with freshly smoked chillies and smoked garlic.

John and Stuart are continually striving to improve on their success around the world. The awards the company has received over the last few years have created keen interest from a number of countries which enabled them to start looking at the prospect of small exclusive export deals. Disaster Bay Chillies are now proudly featuring their products in Harvey Nichols stores throughout the UK.

With the help of family and friends Disaster Bay Chillies has evolved into a successful, award winning business yet Stuart and John still maintain the home grown, hand made approach that they began with 8 years ago.