About Us
Simon Barrett — better known as The Chilli Jam Man — began making chilli jams to spice up his meals after spending a few years in Australia, where he fell in love with the bold flavours of South-East Asian cuisine. When he returned to the UK and couldn’t find anything that hit the spot, he decided to start making his own.
He made small batches which were soon in high demand from his friends. When the financial sector Simon worked in was hit by the recession, he decided to take the plunge and see if there was a business in it.
He turned up to his first market in 2009 with 40 jars and sold out by lunchtime, so decided to make some more – and soon ran out of space! As demand grew, stock levels moved from a spare bedroom to a storage container, and finally to our warehouse.
Making everything in-house at our commercial kitchen in the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds, Simon now runs a small team and still prides himself in using the best ingredients. The range has picked up many National Awards along the way, including so many Great Taste Awards he’s now classed as a Great Taste Producer. Simon also won ‘Local Food Hero’ at the DY Awards, something he’s very proud of.
His chilli jams and sauces have been a huge hit with pubs and restaurants and have established the range further in the food industry. Rib Tickler Mild BBQ Sauce was lucky enough to be on every Revolution Bar table in the country for three years, as well as several of our other products being used in their dishes.
With so many great food festivals on the scene, Simon also launched the ‘Jambassador’ role – where self-employed, passionate foodies can sell at food festivals under The Chilli Jam Man brand. This has given Simon the time he needs to work on the ever-increasing commercial side of the business.
Simon’s wife Bonita (aka ‘Mrs Jam’) is also very involved in the business, looking after the customer service and marketing side of the business. With a consistent 5-star food rating and achieving #1 position in the Food Producer, Condiments Supplier and Food Manufacturer categories on Trustpilot, the brand has gone from strength to strength. A great eye-catching rebrand has seen sales soar with both stockists as well as online through our own website and on Not On The High Street.
Spicing up everything from sandwiches to stir-fries, pasta to pizza and curries to casseroles, his core range of chilli jams are now vegan-friendly and gluten-free. Over the years the range has grown from chilli jams to ultra jams, chilli dips, chilli sauces and his latest addition – chilli honeys.
Simon remains as passionate as ever about making his award-winning range of chilli products and ‘spreading the jam’ nationwide. For up-to-date information about shows and new products, keep an eye on our Facebook page for some great offers.
