Caliente: Raw Hot Sauces from Salmon Arm

Caliente: Raw Hot Sauces from Salmon Arm

For those who like to kick it up a notch or two but seek impactful flavour without preservatives and excessive sugar and salt, Caliente Hot Sauce is for you! Based in Salmon Arm, in the heart of the Shuswap, this raw hot sauce company creates sauces that are sugar-free, vegan, and gluten-free.

caliente hot sauce, kyle schumacher, ivan gracia, raw foods, hot sauce, ecoluxlifestyle, helen siwak, vancouver, salmon arm, shuswap, okanagan

We were inspired to try the whole line after receiving them at the CHFA Conference. The recyclable bottles are very presentable and the wide pour top allows you to control the amount rather then ‘splashing’ as other smaller hot sauces bottles require.

The Two Men Behind Caliente

At a table in Salmon Arm’s Cantina Vallarta Restaurant, Kyle Schumacher fell hard for the homemade habernero pepper-based hot sauces created by owner Ivan Gracia. A recipe created by Ivan’s mother soon became the topic of ‘hot’ conversation, which quickly turned into a discussion on how to create a new business venture together.

caliente hot sauce, kyle schumacher, ivan gracia, raw foods, hot sauce, ecoluxlifestyle, helen siwak, vancouver, salmon arm, shuswap, okanagan
Ivan Gracia & Kyle Schumacher | Image: Salmon Arm Observer

“The beauty of the sauce is really in its simplicity, just fresh raw vegetables and spices, put together in a certain process that makes the flavour so unique,” says Schumacher, who adds this is the only bottled raw hot sauce they know of in Canada. “It doesn’t taste of vinegar or like any other bottled hot sauce out there, it has a depth of flavour that truly needs to be sampled.”

We love the smell and taste of their line of authentic Mexican hot sauces and the versatility of the flavours having tried them on everything from tacos to pasta, tofu scrambles and brown rice bowls, and drizzled onto toasted naan!

Let’s Kick It Up With Caliente!

2 tbsp Caliente Habanero Hot Sauce
6 large avacados
1 small yellow onion
1 bunch cilantro
⅔ tbsp sea salt
2 Serrano peppers
3 limes for juice
1 medium tomato

caliente hot sauce, kyle schumacher, ivan gracia, raw foods, hot sauce, ecoluxlifestyle, helen siwak, vancouver, salmon arm, shuswap, okanagan

Remove pits from avocados, and place in a large bowl with finely diced onion, lime juice, peppers and hot sauce.
Mash thoroughly with a potato masher until desired consistency is achieved.
Stir in finely diced tomato and chopped cilantro.
Adjust salt, hot sauce and lime juice to your taste.

Where to Find Caliente

Caliente offers its products online and in 347 (and counting) stores in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Yukon. In Vancouver, check them out at Nesters Markets, Choices Markets, Whole Foods, Urban Fare, SaveOn Foods, Fresh Street Market, and more. You will find them in the fresh produce section as Caliente sauces are made only with the freshest chillies and produce and keep for one year in your refrigerator.

 

Author Profile

Helen Siwak, Plantbased Food & Beverages
Helen Siwak, Plantbased Food & Beverages
Helen Siwak is passionate about plantbased culinary, promoting a vegan lifestyle, shopping secondhand, and supporting eco-activists. Her plate is full as founder and president of EcoLuxLuv Comms (Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, EcoLuxLifestyle.co). helen@ecoluxluv.com.
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