IT might be a cool part of the state but things are really heating up in Ross with a new chilli business.
Former New South Welshman Rob Dunn moved to Ross earlier this year following a marriage breakdown, to help his mum as she battles dementia and to breathe the clean air that helps with his lung disease.
He had already established Australian Extreme Chilli Condiments and won a shed-full of awards over the past nine years and had Tasmanian distributors Debra and Jeff Coffey of Blackwall on board introducing his products to restaurants and retailers.
Now being in Tasmania has led to Mr Dunn teaming up with St Leonards chilli grower Regan Parkinson from Flamin’ Devil Chillis, who is supplying some of the hottest chillis in the world to go into products like sauces, barbecue rubs, chilli-infused salt and chilli-infused pickled onions – everything made in Ross.
Mr Dunn is putting the final touches on a custom-built van that will serve as a mobile industrial kitchen.
With the Mr Chilli awards in mind, Mr Dunn concocted Volcanic Hotrocks – a blend of fresh Australian garlic, moruga scorpion chilli and Australian rock salt, and entered this and his Ringstinger sauce and came home with a swag of prizes.
Since then the chilli business has been steadily growing, winning more national and international awards and finding its products on more restaurant menus.
In the near future establishments in Ross and Oatlands, including the Pancake and Crepe Shop, the Post Office and the Man O’Ross Hotel, will be stocking or cooking with his products.
“The worcestershire sauce just walks off the shelf, it’s my biggest seller by far and The Ross Bakery uses it in their Cornish pastie mix.”
Describing his products as anything from mild to wild, he said most people stay in the mild to medium lane.
“One sauce, the Blushin’ Berry, is so mild that kids eat it on their icecream and they serve it at the Campbell Town Hotel – that won best in Australia and New Zealand at the Mr Chilli awards and best in the fruit section in the global Hot Sauce Awards.”
At the other end of the scale is the Where’s the Dunny Director’s Blend chilli sauce. No further explanation required.
Chilli grower Regan Parkinson also knows a thing or two about the hot flavour bombs and under the name Flamin’ Devil Chillies makes some wickedly hot powders and blends in his highly chilli-decorated office.
Also originally from SA, Mr Parkinson has in the past owned and operated a native plant nursery and managed a commercial cut flower farm.
“I’ve been growing chillis for more than 20 years, ever since the ghost chilli was named the hottest chilli in the world – from then it’s been like an arms race to breed the hottest, with the Carolina Reaper the current title holder,” he said.
While he believes he’s bred chillis hotter than the Carolina Reaper, his main aim is to develop plants that perform well in the cool Tasmanian climate.
After harvesting the chillis, which are red, yellow, brown, black and every shade in between, Mr Parkinson dehydrates and chops them up to produce flakes or powders or freezes them whole ready to go into Mr Dunn’s salts and sauces.
His dried chillis also find their way to the Chilli Chick shop in Sydney, Aussie Bogan Biltong made in Darwin and Flinders Island Condimental who buys his Rocotos and makes a magnificent Rocoto chilli sauce.
This year his smoked chilli powder came first and his mixed chilli powder came second in the Mr Chilli Awards.
“Rob and I are both really strong advocates of the health benefits of chillis, they’re a powerhouse of nutrition, with karotene in high amounts, and packed with vitamin A, B and C and minerals, and they have antioxidant factors and cancer-fighting agents and fight inflammation.
“They’re being used to help people with arthritis, proriasis, with weight loss and metabolism problems.”
(Caption: Rob Dunn of Ross and Regan Parkinson of St Leonards have teamed up to produce award-winning and mind blowing chilli products. They’re pictured here with Mr Parkinson’s hybrid chilli, dubbed Flamin’ Rippa, which produced 1080 chillis on one plant.)