the HEAT YOU LOVE TO EAT
We produce the most aromatic & authentic Peri Peri sauce in South Africa
the HEAT YOU LOVE TO EAT
We produce the most aromatic & authentic Peri Peri sauce in South Africa
Our Mild Peri Peri was awarded with GOLD at the Aurora international taste challenge. Rated as one of the best in the Hot sauce category, internationally.
Wayne recalls his earliest peri peri soaked memories – buying portions of slap chips after school at the Portuguese-owned café, in Nelspruit’s town center. He still remembers the distinct flavor and aroma of the chilli sauce mixes with the amazing smells of salt and vinegar chips, the owner drenched the chips in; a hot, greasy peri peri sauce filling your nose with the smell of warm spices as you walk home.
Many years later, and stranded by the COVID lockdown, Wayne tried to replicate this fond childhood memory by experimenting with his interpretation of the chilli sauce. After many months of development, he finally managed to cook up a batch of peri peri sauce that captured that specific nostalgic memory, filled with a deliciously intoxicating blend of paprika, garlic, ginger, black pepper and chilli - this was so exciting !
Hard-pressed by the lockdown bans enforced due to COVID restrictions, Wayne put his heart and soul into marketing his peri peri products, starting close with friends and family. Soon, he realized that like the slow burn of a good chilli sauce, the fire is spreading, and his products were exceptionally well received, people loved it ! I guess you could say, the rest is history...
The Vasco Da Gama Peri Peri brand pays homage to the flavours and aromas of collective Portuguese cuisine, and nods in the direction of the 14th century East African trade route, when herbs and spice became coveted trade commodity.
Today we have formed a company to be able to supply you with the very same recipe and to ensure the same traditions are carried in the generations to come...
The Vasco range
Vasco Da Gama from Portugal, His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans and therefore, the West and the Orient. This is widely considered a milestone in world history, as it marked the beginning of a sea-based phase of global multiculturalism. Da Gama's discovery of the sea route to India opened the way for an age of global imperialism and enabled the Portuguese to establish a long-lasting colonial empire along the way from Africa to Asia.
Our delicious peri peri spices and sauces are named after the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama in honour of his incredible journeys across the oceans from Portugal to India via the Cape of Great Hope. We owe a lot to him and his heroics, including an established trade route that helped distribute cinnamon, pepper and other spices that had not been used in cuisine outside of Asia before. Some of the spices he brought back form the backbone of any good peri peri seasoning, so it’s fair to say that without Vasco travelling to India, the tasty kick you find in peri peri dishes wouldn’t be there. Our taste buds are thankful!
“Unique blends of paprika, garlic, ginger, chilli and black pepper form the foundation of our products.”
Tradition is very important to us here at Vasco da Gama Peri Peri. Every one of our peri peri spices and sauces is inspired by traditional Portuguese recipes passed on from generation to generation using similar cooking methods used by the innovators of authentic Portuguese cuisine. No additives are used in our wholesome products. We ensure that every batch of our food products uses the highest quality ingredients, sourced from local farmers to help support the farming community in South Africa. We are proud to be a sustainable South African business and to elevate our native businesses through mutually-beneficial collaboration.
“We commit ourselves to build a sustainable, proudly South African business that takes care of its community.”
How we help the communities
In South Africa where unemployment numbers is really high, we`re working very hard at Vasco Da Gama Peri Peri to make a difference in the communities.
We work very closely with the farmers who plant our Chilies, Golden Paprika, Ginger and Garlic to ensure more people are employed and the communities have skills development programs.
We source and use only the best quality natural products. We don't add filers and crap guaranteed.
Glass bottles keep the products fresh and bright, no chemicals can leak into the content, and you can also reuse the glass bottle.
Small batch, hand crafted Peri Peri sauce, we check every ingredient and hand select the quality.
