Marie Sharp’s youngest customer is four years old, and his favourite is the Original Garlic Habanero Pepper Sauce.
Fitness enthusiasts have also shared on social media how the brand’s low sodium and clean label ingredients are part of their healthy lifestyle.
These are instances of how Marie Sharp’s is positioning their brand: healthy, natural, and easy on the palate, Brand PR Officer Paul Ho told FoodNavigator at the Kaohsiung Food Show, held from 22 to 25 October.
Well known in Japan and Taiwan, the Belizean brand is now focusing on trending local flavours as it seeks to widen its Asia-Pacific footprint.
Unfermented + trending local flavours
One of the key features that sets Marie Sharp’s apart from other brands is that its hot sauces are not fermented.
“Most hot sauces are fermented, but ours is not. Fermented sauces tend to be hotter and they last longer on your palate,” said Ho.
“Unfermented hot sauces taste more refreshing. We add a lot of lime juice and some white vinegar. The profile is more pleasant and it will not overpower your food,” he explained.
“Having said that, fermentation is a healthy way to preserve sauces and to enhance flavour and there’s nothing wrong with it, we just don’t do it for our sauces.”
Instead, the brand adds other fresh fruits or vegetables to create various blends that enhance the flavour profile.
Berry Habanero (made from huckleberries) was launched earlier this year, adding to its array of fruity hot sauces that include the bestsellers Mango Habanero and Pineapple Habanero.
Other flavours that are popular with Asians include the Smokin’ Marie, which was launched in 2015 and brought into Taiwan late last year.
Apart from its wide ranging flavours for dipping, the hot sauces can be used as cooking ingredients too.
This adds versatility, creating more applications for daily life, said Ho.
He added that Marie Sharp’s is more than just hot sauce – it aims to be a part of daily life where it can add value.
Focus on wellness and storytelling
Ho emphasised that Marie Sharp’s is not looking to compete with existing brands, but to be another well known hot sauce alternative so that consumers have more choices.
The brand is therefore working on raising visibility by partnering with larger establishments.
“We want our sauces to be in bigger establishments. We’re also looking at partnerships with cafeterias and schools, where we educate people to be choosy about what you put into your mouth,” said Ho.
“Health consciousness is a strong trend. We aim to be easily accessible so consumers view us as a healthy, everyday option.”
The founder, Marie Sharp, still influences the brand direction today – it reflects her Christian values and altruistic beginnings.
“It all started when Marie Sharp kindly bought all the remaining crop of habanero, which a struggling farmer could not finish selling. Faced with a huge amount of habanero, Marie came up with an idea to turn them into sauces for sale,” said Ho.
Marie Sharp’s continues to build on its philosophy of doing good through business.
It is a philosophy that has worked for the brand, which has evolved from a local Belizean condiment into a premium hot sauce enjoyed across Asia and beyond.
