I am a small-scale chilli farmer based in Durban North and Shongweni. I make sauces, jams, and other chilli products. I first got interested in chillies because of my girlfriends high chilli tolerance, which drove me to find hotter and hotter chillies to challenge her. I am currently growing my chillies in the soil as well as Kratky hydroponics with future expansions into aquaponics.

I have my MSc in marine biology from the University of KwaZulu Natal. My MSc project focused on the reproductive cycle of two sea cucumbers from the KwaZulu-Natal coast, intending to culture these two species in captivity for human consumption and pharmaceutical compounds. Whilst studying I got to set up and work on an aquaponics system. Which I hope to expand my chillies into and do my PhD on.

My girlfriend is doing her PhD on
the metabolomics and genetics of the same sea cucumber species I did my MSc on. We both want to study the metabolome of different chilli species and varieties to breed varieties for pharmaceuticals. We also want to look at the changes in the metabolome because of different chilli growing methods.

I have been working out of my home
in Durban North and 2 small farm spots in Shongweni. I have lots of
projects and things I want to do with chillies as they are one of the most diverse plant species on the planet with a unique group of compounds (Capsaicinoids).

We would greatly appreciate your
support and advice so I can best satisfy any requests you may have
whether it is specific products or chilli varieties you would like me
to grow.

Thank you in advance for your
support.