The Ashburton A&P Association is spicing things up this spring with the first-ever Ashvegas Chilli Competition, run in partnership with Christchurch hot sauce company SpicyBoys.

On Saturday 1 November, up to 30 contestants will take the stage at the Ashburton Showgrounds, pushing through rounds of chilli sauces and fresh chillies of increasing intensity until only one remains - earning the title of 2025 Ashvegas Chilli Champion.

Founder Jay Madgwick-Pamment says chilli contests are equal parts endurance test and theatre.

“A chilli competition works because there are more masochists in the world than sadists,” he laughs.

“And there are a lot of people who like watching masochism. It’s one of the most intense extreme sports - it’s all injury, and only one person gets the glory.”

A showstopper for the crowd

The competition promises more than burning tongues: expect fierce faces, big laughs, and plenty of entertainment as participants sweat it out for glory.

Whether you’re a seasoned chilli-eater or a curious first-timer, the event is open to anyone brave enough to step up.

“Why would anyone pay to put themselves through the agony?” Jay laughs. “Because it’s fun, it’s unforgettable, and there’s serious prize money on the line. Plus, the endorphin rush is real.”

For Ashburton, SpicyBoys will bring the format honed at their annual Southern Spice Festival in Christchurch.

“Ashburton will be a mix of sauces and chillies, because it’s not full chilli season yet. But the principle is the same: it’s last person standing. It’s not speed, it’s a mental and physical gauntlet.”

Competitors will face round after round of escalating heat.

“At a point it stops being about how spicy it is,” Jay explains. “It’s about how you manage your stomach, and how you manage the mental side, because of the massive endorphin rush.”

Spectators can expect more than just sweat and red faces.

“It’s always a highlight,” Jay says. “The determination of the competitors and the atmosphere created by the crowd make it an experience not to be missed.”

Prizes include $500 cash for first place (courtesy of RD Petroleum), $250 for second, and a SpicyBoys Challenge Box for third. Contestant entries cost $40, with registrations open now at ashburtonshow.co.nz. Watching is free with Show entry.

From roadside stand to supermarket shelves

SpicyBoys’ story began in 2018 with a lucky supermarket find of Carolina Reaper peppers - known as one of the hottest in the world.

“Me and my brother found Reapers being sold at New World for the same price as regular chillies. We bought them all and made a sauce. It was really hot and horrible,” Jay recalls.

His brother Max soon left for Sweden, but Jay carried on, selling his sauces at farmers’ markets and even from a homemade roadside stand.

“I did that for about a year and a half. I met quite a few cool people from there, like Cookie Time. Then we moved into Riverside Market, and soon after, bigger customers like Bacon Bros, Smokey T’s and Empire Chicken came on board. Those guys grew so fast they needed hot sauce from me faster than I realised, and I just had to keep up.”

That led to the opening of a factory in Woolston, Christchurch, in 2021, where sauce is now produced on a large scale to meet demand.

The range has since expanded into New World supermarkets, Mitre 10 MEGA barbecue sections, and restaurants across the South Island, with Foodstuffs North Island now coming on board.

Jay’s brother is now in Perth, and while the rest of the family help out occasionally, Jay is still hoping Max will return to home soil and join the business.

“I can’t wait for the day he decides to return home and join Spicy Boys.”

The sauces that bite back

The SpicyBoys line-up covers the whole heat spectrum: from the approachable Gateway Sweet Chilli to the brutally hot Lizard Exposer Pure Reaper.

“We go from sweet chilli all the way up to pretty much pure Carolina Reaper. That one is about 70% chilli. It’s very uncomfortable,” Jay admits.

His personal favourites are the Red and Green Chipotle and the OG, though lately he’s been eating a lot of their Hot Honey, a collaboration with Mount White Station.

“I’m actually eating those protein bowls that went viral on TikTok. Hot Honey is amazing on them. We quickly became one of the leading hot honeys in New Zealand and the first into South Island supermarkets.”

Jay is proud that SpicyBoys is a local brand through and through.

“All of our fresh produce - chillies, garlic, onions, capsicums - is locally grown. The only things we import are ingredients you can’t get in New Zealand, like black pepper.”

The company currently buys from six farms nationwide. Early on, they sourced from Harbour Head Growers in North Canterbury until that business shut down during COVID.

“Now we’ve got a new grower starting in Kaiapoi this year. Chillies are a fickle business, so it’s great to see new growers coming through.”

Building an iconic Kiwi brand

SpicyBoys survived COVID, grew through hospitality partnerships, and continues to thrive despite today’s tough economy.

Jay has big ambitions.

“The goal is to build SpicyBoys into one of those iconic New Zealand brands, like Cookie Time or Whittaker’s. From there, we’ll look to export.”

But the real satisfaction, he says, comes from events like Ashburton’s.

“I’m a massive fan of the rural, small towns of New Zealand. If the kids have the coolest time, then the whole day is a success."

By Claire Inkson

INFO:

The Great Ashvegas Chilli Competition

When: Saturday 1 November, 11am – 2pm

Where: Ashburton Showgrounds, Brucefield Ave

Prizes: 1st $500, 2nd $250, 3rd SpicyBoys Challenge Box

Entry: $40 competitor fee at ashburtonshow.co.nz