Winston Thorpe and Orville Failey Sr.

In 1998, we were awarded the People's Choice Award for the best tasting hot sauce from the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival. In the August 27, 2004 edition of the Austin Chronicle, we were interviewed before the festival due to our outstanding product and history of multiple awards in the commercial bottle category of the festival. Now, we'd like to introduce ourselves to you with excerpts from that article.

The story of Winston's Hot Pepper Sauce is a familiar one. Although they both were born and raised in Jamaica, Winston Thorpe and Orville Failey Sr. met in Austin .Thorpe was, and still is, the caterer for all Jamaican bands that play at Flamingo Cantina Night Club in Austin, TX. His hot sauce comes from a recipe given to him by his grandmother back in St. Mary's Parish in Jamaica and was a hit with everyone who tried it. Thorpe approached his friend Orville to join forces and start up a business bottling the sauce. they first entered the Chronicle Hot Sauce Contest, where they won first prize in the People's Choice Award In 1998.with Orville at the helm as CEO and manager, Thorpe set out to bottle and sell his sauce in stores confident that the people of Austin had approved of his creation.

The sauce is indeed delicious, a flavor bomb made of mangos and Chile habanero, spiced with thyme and a hint of ginger. Although it is hot, it is designed "to enhance the flavor of foods, not to take it away," Failey explains. It is made of all natural ingredients.
The Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival has had a great impact on Winston's products. "When we do the Hot Sauce Festival, we are putting a face to the product," Failey says. "We are proud to be a local product while bringing a Jamaican flavor to the festival. It is a great festival, a cross-cultural experience that helps bring together the different faces of Texas." The sauce has also garnered awards at the Houston Hot Sauce Festival for three consecutive years, as well as at the Texas Fiery Foods Show. They have participated in the Chronicle's Hot Sauce Festival every year since 1998, often placing in the top three for the People's Choice Award. "We are trying to override people's idea of what a hot sauce should taste like," Failey says. "We try to re-educate them. They are used to something plain, like the average pepper, vinegar, and water sauces. Our customers call it 'liquid spice' because it tastes so good. We make a product that makes people go 'wow.

This sauce is not only a great table sauce, but it is excellent for cooking, too. They receive e-mails from many happy customers to tell them the many ways in which they use it. Some mix it with ketchup or mustard to dress hot dogs and burgers, add it to barbecue sauces and marinades, and use it right out of the bottle on pizza. I think it's incredible on pork, especially if it's barbecued or smoked, and it is also great on seafood. In the case of Winston's Hot Pepper Sauce, "We sell flavor" is more than just a motto.

– Claudia Alarcón, Austin Chronicle