A hospitality man with a serious chilli habit.
Urban Chilli started with Niel Martin — a lifelong hospitality professional who believes everything you put in front of a guest should taste like it was made with care. Chilli sauce was no exception.
Niel Martin
Niel is an enthusiastic and innovative professional with extensive experience across hospitality, administration, human resources and client services. He is passionate about giving every client a 5-star experience, and he pours that same standard into every bottle of Urban Chilli.
He started in hospitality at a very young age, learning the discipline and operations of the industry from the ground up, and has since worked across every brand-type of hotel.
Recognised for quality
Throughout his career Niel has been recognised for quality excellence, presentation and creativity. That commitment to the ultimate customer experience gives every project he touches a competitive edge — and it's why nothing goes out under the Urban Chilli name unless it's right.
Learned from the best
He has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the most talented people in the industry, many still mentors today. A career highlight was an invitation to the Chateau-de-Saran, owned by champagne house Moët & Chandon — where only two other South Africans, F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela, had been invited.
An expert eye on detail
Niel is recognised as an expert in hotel management, human resources and customer relations, working with companies large and small to lift guest satisfaction and bottom-line results. Small batches, honest ingredients and consistent quality come from exactly that discipline.
Cooking, surfing and fine wine
In his spare time you'll find Niel surfing, watching cricket, cooking or enjoying a good wine — and travelling is a must. Urban Chilli is what happens when a cook who travels starts chasing flavour instead of just heat.
Small batches, by hand
Every bottle is cooked, tasted and filled in small batches. No shortcuts, no bulk paste, no flavour lost to the factory floor. If a batch doesn't taste right, it doesn't get bottled.
Flavour before fire
We build our sauces around fresh chillies, garlic, fruit and spice. The heat is there — it just never gets in the way of the food you're putting it on.
Made for South African tables
Braais, boerie rolls, breakfast eggs, curries and everything in between. Our range grew out of what people actually asked us for at the stall.
Still at the markets
We started behind a table with a few crates of bottles, and we're still there most weekends. Come say hello, taste the range and tell us how hot you can really handle it.
