Nonocuis To Food started with a simple frustration: supermarket condiments tasted flat, and the good stuff came with ingredient lists we could not pronounce. So we began fermenting hot sauces in small batches, grinding spices on stone, and preserving citrus the slow way. Every jar we make follows the same rules we set in our own kitchen — local produce, no shortcuts, and a cooking guide that actually works on a weeknight braai or a Sunday stew.
Trusted by grocers, delis, and cooking schools across the Western Cape
Oranjezicht City Farm Market — weekly stall for fermented sauces and preserved citrus.
Klein Karoo Deli — carries our stone-ground spice blends and braai rubs.
Bo-Kaap Cooking School — uses our condiments in their Cape Malay cooking classes.
Franschhoek Village Market — features our slow-roasted tomato chutney and pickled onions.
Stellenbosch Slow Food Collective — sources our preserved lemons for their pantry boxes.
Nonocuis To Food began with a simple frustration: pantry staples that tasted flat, spice blends that lost their aroma before they reached the pot, and cooking guides that assumed more equipment than most home kitchens own. We started small, with a single batch of fermented hot sauce and a handwritten recipe card, and we have kept the same standards ever since. Every jar we produce and every guide we publish follows the same set of principles, shaped by the produce we source, the people we cook for, and the meals we want to see on South African tables.
Our hot sauces are fermented in five-litre crocks, not industrial tanks. Spice blends are ground in small stone mills so the oils stay intact. When a batch of preserved citrus does not meet our standard, we do not bottle it; we start again. This limits how much we can make, but it also means every jar carries the character of the season it came from.
Our chilies come from a farm in the Swartland, our lemons from a neighbour's tree in Paarl, and our coriander seed from a cooperative in the Karoo. When a crop fails or a season runs short, we adjust our recipes rather than import substitutes. This means our products change slightly through the year, and we think that is a feature, not a flaw.
We write our cooking guides for people who have one chopping board, a decent knife, and a pantry that is not stocked with obscure ingredients. Each recipe includes seasonal substitutions, storage notes, and the kind of detail that comes from making the same dish repeatedly. If a step requires a technique we think might trip you up, we explain it plainly.
Our condiments get their depth from fermentation time, slow roasting, and careful seasoning. Our spice blends rely on whole spices toasted just before grinding. This approach takes longer and costs more, but it produces food that tastes like what it is. We would rather sell fewer jars that people repurchase than more jars they finish once.
Every product page lists the source of each ingredient, the batch number, and the date it was made. Our cooking guides include the reasoning behind each step, so you understand why a marinade needs time or why a sauce should rest before serving. If you have a question we have not answered, you can email us directly and a person will reply.
Citrus peels become preserved rinds, spent chilies are dried and ground into a mild flakes blend, and vegetable trimmings go into a stock that we use in our own kitchen. Packaging is glass and paper, both recyclable, and we offer a jar return programme for local customers. It is not a complete solution, but it is a start we are committed to.