‘Carlovian sauce’ set to spice up food academy
Ross Wynne with a jar of his 'Carlovian Sauce'
A GARLIC chilli sauce created by a Carlow man called has been accepted onto Supervalu’s Food Academy programme for 2026/2027. The programme mentors small food businesses with the goal of getting their products on shelves.
was created by Ross Wynne seven years ago when he and his wife Kelly returned to Ireland from a trip to Thailand. Kelly, who is originally from China, and Ross met in Dublin. They are big foodies and particularly fond of spicy food. On holiday in Thailand, Ross came across a chilli garlic sauce that he loved but struggled to find a sauce like it when he returned, so he decided to make his own.
“He must have made over 100 flavours,” said Kelly.
It took Ross about four years of experimenting to arrive at the sauce’s final recipe. At first, Ross made the sauce just for himself and some family and friends, but it was Kelly who saw an opportunity to turn the sauce into a commercial venture.
“After working in a start-up company, I was, like, right, let’s do this. I think I can make this happen,” Kelly said, and last year she began working on the sauce full time. She designed the sauce’s branding and registered the company.
Since then, the sauce has been stocked in Rath’s Londis and SuperValu in Carlow town. The pair have also had stalls at several different local farmers markets.
Kelly decided to apply for the Supervalu Academy to help them grow the business.
“SuperValu will look at our brand and product and put us through the Technical University Dublin’s food entrepreneur programme, which is a three-month programme where you learn all things to become a food entrepreneur,” Kelly said.
At the end of the academy, the participants go into competition to have their product stocked in five SuperValu stores for a three-month period. At the end of the three-month period, the product’s sales are assessed and the products that are selling well will be stocked in more SuperValu supermarkets.
“It’s a great opportunity to get our product on a national stage,” Kelly said.
The sauce is available to buy from Arthur’s SuperValu, Rath’s Londis and through the couple’s Instagram page @carlovian.sauce.
