Kraft Heinz Foodservice and The Restaurant Group’s casual dining chain, Chiquito have joined forces to bring the UK’s first avocado hot sauce to out-of-home customers.
Kumana.
Pronounced ‘ku-mah-na'. this is a Venezuelan-inspired avocado hot sauce. Key ingredients include avocado and jalapeno, with mango and habanero chilli delivering sweetness and additional punches of heat.
With a thick consistency and creamy texture not seen before in its category, it stands alone for its versatile culinary prowess and flavour combination. 100% vegan, gluten free and HFSS approved, Kumana is perfect for all day occasions, as can attest Chiquito.
Following its successful retail launch - Kumana has been available in Ocado since 2021, and recently became listed in Waitrose - the sauce has now arrived at Chiquito’s 22 nationwide restaurants.
With the growth of the hot sauce market being fuelled by the increasing influence of South American cuisine, and with 35.81% restaurants offering hot sauce on their menus , Kumana has entered the market with undeniably unique credentials.
Lawrence Ager, Culinary Sales Manager at The Kraft Heinz Company, said, “Kumana is not what you would expect a hot sauce to be - it’s got an avocado base which can be spicy or cooling. It can be used in cooked dishes, cold straight from the jar, or as a marinade or dressing.
'Unlike a lot of other hot sauces that are sugar or vinegar based and tend to be used on the side of the plate, Kumana offers versatility and multiple applications for chefs and operators.”
Simon Xavier, Executive Food & Drink Development Chef at Chiquito, added, “Kumana can be used as a finishing touch for dishes like eggs at breakfast, slathering on a burrito or dunking chips into.
'The PH balance of Kumana means it can be a salt and lime substitute for ceviche or poured on to salmon or monkfish and roasted for a beautiful glaze, colour and taste. It’s also great for tinga tacos - an incredible Mexican dish from Puebla made from shredded chicken cooked in a smoky and slightly spicy tomato-based sauce.”
The idea for the partnership came about earlier this year when the duo was on a food tour together in Miami.
Lawrence continued, “Kumana was originally launched in the US a few years ago by two Venezuelan brothers who started producing their own version of the sauce – known locally as Guasacaca - after failing to find anything that resembled the flavours they were missing from home.
“Heinz partnered with the brand, and we believed the sauce would be a hit in the UK. I asked Simon if he’d be interested in developing it for Chiquito and here we are. We’re extremely proud of Kumana and look forward to hearing how diners are enjoying it.”
