About
Our History
The recipe for our sauce has been passed from father to son for 5 generations.
This final product has been perfected over the last 15 years, in the farm kitchen, so that the slow process and unique flavour, is not lost with modern impatience. The recipe was found in the diary of R.A. Fletcher – mapmaker of Rhodesia, 1898.
Our Process
We use the finest home grown chili, a blend of African Birds Eye and the famous Cayenne Pepper. We gather lemons from the communal lands of Zimbabwe, organic and naturally grown trees, each homestead usually having a lemon tree…
The chili is hot-smoked over rare English Oak chips, and allowed to cool, and then smoked for a second time… lending the unique, and sweet smoky overtones that have made our sauce so popular.
The chili, lemon juice and spices are poured into blown glass flagons. These 30 litre flagons, are placed in the hot African sun for up to 100 days. Each flagon gently stirred twice a day, encouraging the flavours to meld into a smooth and aromatic flavour, versatile for for all food types. Batch made with Pride.
Our Suppliers
At Dr Trouble we buy our lemons & chilies from local rural villages. Our African Birds Eye chillies and Lemons are naturally organic.
Lemons were introduced into the region by early missionaries in the late 1700s while chillies arrived a little earlier in the late 1600’s early 1700’s through Arab and Portuguese traders from neighbouring Mozambique who pushed into the interior looking for ivory. Each family in every village typically has a few lemon trees and they use the lemons to make cold and flu remedies as well as used in cleaning.
Chilli bushes are planted to protect their crops from antelope, bush pig and warthog.
Elephants don’t like chilli either. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/10/30/zambian-farmers-use-spicy-natural-deterrent-to-ease-conflict-with-elephants
