The Highlands is now home to the best sweet chilli sauce in Australia and among the best in the world.
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Kieltys Irish Sauces won third place for its Asian-style hot sweet chilli sauce at the World Hot Sauce Awards in Louisiana, USA.
The World Hot Sauce Awards is a competition to find the best extreme and intense foods in the world.
The winners are determined by a blind taste test, with labels taken off the sauce bottles prior to judging.
The awards presentation was held late last week in the United States, and the judging process went for about two months.
Kieltys Irish Sauces' award-winning recipe was made with chillis grown in Robertson and at Brillig Farm in Exeter.
The Bowral-based business was among 10 Australian businesses to compete at the awards, and three to win an award.
Kieltys Irish Sauces owner Padraic Kielty said when it came to his line of sauces, flavour was a priority.
"I go for flavour as well as heat," Mr Kielty said.
"I use local ingredients as much as I can. I grow a lot of my own ingredients."
However Mr Kielty said it was heat that worked against him during the competition.
"[The sweet chilli sauce] wasn't hot enough, the Americans are really into spice," he said.
"It was in the hot Asian style category, the level wasn’t enough. The chillis over there seem to be a lot hotter."
Mr Kielty also entered his chipotle and habanero sauces into the competition.
While they did not make it into the top three of the competition, he was told they were well-received by the judges.
Mr Kielty said the competition offered good exposure for his small business.
"I get to put stickers on the bottle," he said.
"It’s easier to sell the products the bigger companies, they take more of an interest in it."
The brand has a growing list of stockists across the Highlands and parts of NSW.
Mr Kielty has had strong support particularly from the local community.
He has recently started making customised sauces for people, including a spiced cherry and blackberry sauce made from Highlands foraged fruit.
Since then, Mr Kielty has received dozens of requests for customised sauces.
Among his most recent work was with two butchers in Sydney on producing their own barbecue sauces, including a smoked onion and bourbon, a white BBQ sauce, and a fermented garlic and tomato chutney.
