The Saucy Story
Saucy Mango started because Phnom Penh deserved hot sauce with flavor, not just heat.
Saucy Mango started because founder Samantha January was tired of buying Tabasco. Nothing in Phnom Penh was hot enough, and nothing made locally tasted like something she wanted to eat every day. So she made her own.
The goal? A sauce she could eat daily, with different heat levels for different friends. Some people can handle their spice, others are a bit... tame. She remembers packing multiple bottles for trips and complaining in restaurants about how "not hot" the sauces were. Hot wasn't an accident—it was engineered to extract every bit of capsicum goodness using every technique in the book.
Every batch starts at alarmingly early hours at local markets. Fresh chilies and mangoes are carefully measured to maintain consistent heat levels across batches. Then comes the secret: fermentation. Not the months-long brining method, but a technique borrowed from Samantha's own culture—making chutney, with extra steps.
Why ferment? It makes the sauce taste incredible. It takes off that bitter capsicum edge and makes it mellow but hot. It's also an ancient preservation method, and it felt right to apply it here.
Sweet & Mild was made for a friend who said "I don't like hot sauce." He eats it all the time now. Hot, Sweet & Sour was a complete accident—Samantha forgot to count because she was singing too loudly, and a winner was born. It works with noodles, dumplings, stews—anything that needs refreshing heat.
Why mango? Because it's delicious, packed with vitamins, and you should eat more fruit. Plus, it's sweet. Fermented mango? Even better. This sauce is made for anyone who misses that scintillating mouth tingle when they eat their food.
