Saudi-American 'chilli officer' sells world's spiciest peppers and hot sauces from Dubai garage

In Faisal Al Mutairi's garage in his Dubai villa, shelves are lined with vibrant bottles in every shade of red, orange and green. The “chief chilli officer”, as he calls himself, has sampled hundreds of hot sauces over the past nine months for his passion project: House of Habanero. Now, he's ready to turn the heat up. “I've got a sampling fridge with about 800 products,” he tells The National. Al Mutairi started selling about 35 products in September through the online shop run from his garage, and to much excitement and encouragement from fellow hot sauce and chilli connoisseurs in the UAE. By mid-December, House of Habanero will have more than 100 products for sale – bottles of hot sauces, jars of chilli crunches and the like, from about 12 countries as well as products made in the UAE. It's evident that Al Mutairi has done his homework. The range is extensive, and includes popular products from YouTube show Hot Ones, such as “super-hot” Dawson's original hot sauce that made Mark Ruffalo tear up (“That burns twice!”). Made with fresh red habanero peppers, it has a Scoville score of 620,000, putting it way above its peers. The Scoville scale is a measurement of spiciness or heat level, and the higher the number, the more pungent a sauce is. For scale, Tabasco is in the 25,000 to 50,000 range. These artisanal products, usually made in small batches by niche producers, can be difficult to buy in the UAE, but Al Mutairi aims to change that via House of Habanero. The Saudi-American national imports the sauces from abroad, and only puts in orders for those he has tried and approved himself. “I love spicy food and I love hot sauces. I was never really into the stuff you could find in the supermarkets. The tabascos and srirachas are fine, they do the job. But I travel a lot and these artisanal products are big in the US and Europe,” says Al Mutairi. “Arabs love to eat their Chips Oman wrap with shatta, which is fermented hot chilli peppers, salt and olive oil, for example. It's vinegary and it's got a little bit of spice to it – but it's kind of a one-dimensional experience." So Al Mutairi would bring back “tonnes of these delicious sauces" from his travels, and one day wondered why no one had thought of distributing them in the Emirates where there's a penchant for spice. He adds that although this is the case, many people have not been exposed to the “depth of the chilli scene” and the range of products out there. House of Habanero aims to fill this gap with the sheer variety of sauces that will be available. Aside from mainstream brands, the delivery-only store aims to bring niche products, even those that include ingredients people wouldn't normally associate with hot sauces. For example, a sauce from Australian brand Ziggy's Wildfoods contains green ants, while other sauces come with blueberry, papaya and macadamia nuts. This also plays into Al Mutairi's perspective of hot sauces – that they are not just for heat, but for “enhancing the eating experience” all around. “Yes, we have super-hot products with Trinidad Scorpion, one of the hottest peppers in the world, for example. But about 70 per cent of our products fall into the medium to mild categories,” he explains. On the website, each product has detailed descriptions of ingredients and flavour profiles, as well as recommendations on pairing. Al Mutairi also often offers personalised suggestions. “I had someone on the website ask me about a perfect hot sauce for paella, and I told him we have a Spanish brand that makes a super-smoky sauce. After the gathering, the customer said his guests loved it,” he says. “I really want to emphasise the concept of flavour over fire, and educate people on how these sauces can enhance their eating experiences. There's a whole spectrum of flavour profiles that can do that, as well as a whole range of heat levels.” The price range is also quite extensive, with sauces retailing from Dh27 to over Dh100 a pop. Although most items on Al Mutairi's inventory are imported, he says it's crucial for him to champion local products, too with home-grown brands such as Camp's Kitchen and Jinxy's already on board. So far, the entrepreneur says the response has been promising and people are eager to try new things. Eventually, House of Habanero will have a presence on ordering platform InstaShop, as well as a potential “tasting room”. New product ranges are also in the pipeline, from hot honey and spicy peanut butter to Al Mutairi's own hot sauce recipe.

Saudi-American 'chilli officer' sells world's spiciest peppers and hot sauces from Dubai garage

From Dawson's original to a condiment made of green ants, House of Habanero offers more than 100 fiery products from 12 countries