For many Malaysians, a meal is incomplete without some form of chili, be it fresh cut, pickled, sambal or sauce from a bottle. Not all chilis are created equal – that is a given that all chili lovers can attest to.
Fresh chili aside, there is a wide choice of bottled chili sauces available in the market at many price points. Chili snobs typically eschew those at the lower end of the spectrum; after all, quality comes at a price. The cheapest chili sauces tend to be laden with sugar, and artificial flavouring and enhancers.
And then there are exceptional chili sauces, packed with natural flavours that elevate your meal to the next level with its spicy goodness.
The “Sabasco” brand promises to do just that. In addition, it only utilises chili of non-genetically modified organism (GMO) source, namely the aromatic Momporok Chili indigenous to Sabah that cultivated using eco-friendly regenerative agriculture methods.
Generations of Sabahans knew and enjoyed the Momporok Chilli, but over time, indigenous chili species had become increasingly scarce as hybrid chili species overtook the ingenuous species as the preferred chili crop. Convinced that Sabah’s own indigenous chilis are superior in taste and aroma, Borneo Oil – through its SugarBun brand – embarked on a mission to ensure that indigenous chilli breeds such as Sabah’s “Momporok Chili” do not go extinct. In May 2021, Sabasco was launched.
Sabasco comes in four variants – Original, Hijau Green, Sweet & Spicy, and A1 Tok Sai. The last is new, launched only this month.
The idea to create Sabah’s own chilli sauce was the brainchild of Borneo Oil’s Managing Director, Datuk Joseph Ambrose Lee, who enjoyed this particular blend of authentic chilli sauce as a child growing up in Sabah. The name Sabasco was
in fact coined as an acronym for the “Sabah’s Chilli Company” to reflect his dream and vision to introduce the world to the real taste of Sabah.
Tapping into the global market is not just a dream for Sabasco, after all, Malaysia has already given the world one of the top selling chilli sauces that is Lingham’s chilli sauce which is available in more than 20 countries.
Datuk Ambrose reminisced the days when thick spicy chili sauces using generous amounts of Sabah’s indigenous chilis were easily available around the Sabah state and would accompany most coffee shop dishes. He shared that the Momporok Chilli from Kunak and Lahad Datu were widely available then and well known for their unique aroma and memorable spiciness.
SugarBun procures all its chilis from Sabah and is supporting local small holders and community farmers by providing a stable off-take platform to encourage the planting of local indigenous chili species, especially “Momporok Chili”. All produce used in making Sabasco chilli sauces are planted using regenerative agriculture methods with emphasis on reducing the group’s overall carbon footprint and move towards large-scale carbon farming which could turn Borneo into the world’s largest carbon sequester in the future.
Borneo Oil aspires to boost the local agricultural industry in Kunak, Lahad Datu and the surrounding districts, and turn Sabah into a major chilli producer. The worldwide market for chilli is approximately US$5 billion and Sabah could benefit greatly if it positions itself correctly.
Borneo Oil says the name “A1 Tok Sai” speaks for itself to describe an indescribably delicious spicy taste which means, in the old Hakka dialect – “A1”– Number One “1” and Tok Sai (TOP), simply put “the best in the world!”
Sabasco will host a series of roadshows around East Malaysia to launch its latest chili sauce made with 100% real chilli with the real taste of Sabah Borneo. Stay tuned to Sabasco’s official social media page for more information.
A1 Tok Sai as well as the other three variants are available for purchase at all SugarBun and Pezzo Outlets and selected stores, or online via its official webstore at http://www.sabasco.com . The recommended retail price is RM10.80 per bottle, standard across all four variants.
