It is not for nothing that Öland is called the island of the sun and winds. But it is so much more than just a beautiful place. Öland is a sweet spot for those who want to explore locally produced, tasty and exciting flavours from all corners of the world. Entrepreneur Rob Buckley's love for the hot food in Mexico and Jamaica inspired him to start his very own, flavorful business on Öland. Today he stands behind Pappi's Chilli Farm where he sells locally produced chili sauce in a range of different flavours. His versatile chilli sauces and spices can be used as barbecue marinade, dipping sauces and rubs. You will find the entire range on the website and in the farm shop on Öland. Pappis Chilli Farm's products are also available in stores on Öland, Kalmar, Växjö, in Stockholm and Gothenburg.
The word chilli can feel a bit scary to some people. At Pappi's Chilli Farm, it's not just the heat that's in focus. Here, they want to emphasize the flavours in each sauce, and therefore the sauce base itself is made first before the chilli starts to be added.
- For me, it is important to produce a sauce that is not only hot but actually tastes good. My recipes are inspired by flavours from Mexico, Jamaica, India and England. I want to represent these flavours as well as possible in all of my products, says Rob.
In just four years, Rob has gone from being able to make a hundred bottles of chilli sauce to 1,200 bottles in one go. New orders and visitors continue to trickle in from different parts of the world. Customer feedback continues to be extremely positive. Although you get the feeling that Rob is destined to do this very thing, this was not on his to-do list from the beginning.
- I was encouraged by friends, neighbours and family when I first moved to Sweden to invest in my chilli sauces. It all started as a side job at the end of 2018. Then I planted a chilli plant from which I got a lot of chilies. I then made my first big batch of sauce based on my own recipes that I had used many times before. I gave the sauces to loved ones and everyone said I should try selling them, says Rob. I wasn’t planning for it to turn into a big deal. It's still fun and that's the most important thing. If you do something you love and can stand behind, it can't go wrong.
Demand increased and the saucepans got bigger and bigger. There was no doubt that this was something that was starting to grow into a thriving business.
