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Two women. One dream. And a whole lot of love for chilli!
Ash Erasmus and Jenna Turner have turned a side hustle into an in-demand South African brand, Dilly Chilli.
After plenty of trial and error, these Westville women came up with the right flavours – a South African-inspired take on chilli crunch that has proved popular with foodies.
READ: What happens when a Zulu grandmother’s recipes enter a Durban fine-dining kitchen?
From Westville to the world – and back again
Although they've travelled to China and South Korea together, South Africa has always been home for Ash and Jenna.
Their backgrounds are wonderfully varied. Ash has worked in graphic design and has three different tertiary qualifications, including studies in French fine dining from Cape Town. Jenna's career has primarily been in teaching, alongside studies in French patisserie, business and marketing.
In other words, combining food, creativity and business was perhaps inevitable.
"We always knew that we wanted to work in the food space," says Jenna. "And with Ash being a graphic designer, we knew that we had an opportunity to build something really cool."
The result was Dilly Chilli, launched in 2024… although the journey from idea to finished product involved plenty of experimentation.
"We spent ages standing over pots of oil, going backwards and forwards trying to find the right balance — there were a few duds for sure," she laughs.
And while Jenna was working on the flavour, Ash was working on another crucial ingredient: the brand itself.
"Ash spent ages in front of Adobe Illustrator trying to find the right look; it's so hard designing things for yourself. But we knew what we wanted, and we knew where we wanted to go, and that helped a lot,” says Jenna.
READ: Meet the Umlazi woman who became Southern Africa's first Black female tea taster
It all started with a chilli crunch experiment
The original inspiration was surprisingly simple.
"The chilli crunch itself started as an 'oh I've seen this recipe on Instagram — let's make it!'" Jenna explains.
Friends who tried it loved it, but the pair soon realised they could take the idea further.
"We soon realised that South Africans have quite a unique palate, and that Asian flavours don't necessarily work for everyone. So we took the recipe down to its core, and found the flavours that make everyone happy.”
Then came the lightbulb moment.
"We looked at braais and thought: 'how can we take that flavour and put it into a jar?'" says Jenna.
And just like that, Smoked Chilli Crunch was born. It's now their most popular flavour and, according to Jenna, it works with just about everything.
"We have some customers who come back to us for a jar every week."
The side hustle that started to get serious
For more than a year, Dilly Chilli was a side hustle. But then came a Christmas campaign that made Ash and Jenna sit up and take notice.
"The response to our Christmas campaign last year was really a catalyst for us to see just how far we could take this," says Jenna. "And also being the CEO of a company sounds like a job title we'd like to have!"
Suddenly, the possibility of turning their passion project into a full-fledged business didn't seem quite so far-fetched.
The brand's philosophy is straightforward: create high-quality products packed with flavour that make memorable food experiences accessible to everyone. This doesn’t matter if you're a committed foodie or someone who simply wants to make Tuesday-night dinner a little more exciting.
Two friends, one business – and a lot of passion
Running a business with a friend might sound like a recipe for disaster, but Ash and Jenna have history on their side. They've known each other for seven years and have travelled the world together.
"Travel really prepares you for the worst in a person, so this seems easier!" Jenna jokes. "In all seriousness, we've had our irritations, but generally we both want the same things for the business, and that helps us to continue seeing eye-to-eye."
Like many small businesses in South Africa, Dilly Chilli has encountered its share of challenges. From finding elegant packaging at an affordable price to sourcing local ingredients, the pair have discovered that supporting local isn't always straightforward.
"Supporting local is hugely important to us, and so some of the walls we've hit have purely been because our business isn't big enough to meet thresholds."
READ: Eat your way around the world at the Durban Street Food Festival
A little jar with a lot of personality
At its heart, Dilly Chilli is about making food more fun. The brand's Chilli Crunch comes in three flavours designed for different tastes and uses, with the recipes refined specifically for South African palates.
And that's perhaps what makes the brand particularly interesting as Heritage Month approaches.
Rather than simply replicating international food trends, Ash and Jenna have taken inspiration from global flavours and asked a very local question: What happens when we make this ours?
The answer is a chilli crunch inspired by everything from Asian food culture to the unmistakable smoky flavours of a South African braai.
It might be time to add a little Dilly to your next dish!
What you need to know
- What: Dilly Chilli
- Location: Westville, KwaZulu-Natal
- Options: Original | Smoked | Spicy chilli crunch
- Cost: R100 per bottle from www.dilly.co.za
- Follow: @dillychilli on Instagram | Dilly Chilli on Facebook
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