Columbia-based Horn & Heat has launched a new line of chef-crafted hot sauces and hot honey with an unusual origin: a South African rhino conservation reserve.
Horn & Heat was created by Fernando and Bri Coelho after their work filming the documentary Rhino Rescue: Battling Extinction in South Africa at Rockwood Conservation in South Africa's Northern Cape Province.
While filming, they met wildlife veterinarian Dr. Liam Theuns Smit, known as "The Rhino Doctor," who oversees the health and care of more than 450 rhinos across Rockwood's 33,000-acre reserve.
Smit's work includes health checks, vaccinations, microchipping, treating injuries, moving rhinos throughout the property, and caring for orphaned and vulnerable calves.
Away from his veterinary work, Smit made hot sauce by hand using peppers he grew himself. He shared the sauce with Fernando and Bri during filming, eventually inspiring what became Horn & Heat.
"The whole thing started with the flavor," said Horn & Heat co-founder Fernando Coelho. "We weren't looking for a hot sauce company to start. Liam handed us a bottle of something he had made for himself and the folks at Rockwood, and it was completely different from the one-dimensional sauces we were used to."
The initial Horn & Heat lineup includes three hot sauces:
Rhino Doctor Reserve, the flagship hot sauce inspired by Smit's original recipe and built around an eight-pepper profile.
Rhino Gold, a medium-heat, chef-developed sauce with a thick texture and layered savory flavor.
Rhino Baby, a mild sauce designed for consumers who want flavor and versatility without aggressive heat.
The line also includes Rhino Nectar, a hot honey made with African piri piri peppers, giving it a distinctive, slow-building heat balanced by natural sweetness.
Horn & Heat approaches hot sauce as more than a finishing condiment. The sauces are designed for cooking in marinades, glazes, soups, vinaigrettes, dips, sauces and other recipes as well as for use at the table.
The company's tagline, Heat With Purpose, also reflects its conservation mission.
A portion of every Horn & Heat bottle and jar sold supports the Rockwood Conservation Fund, founded by Smit and Rockwood Conservation owner Wicus Diedericks to help support the feeding and care of baby rhinos.
A single orphaned calf can require more than $10,000 per year in milk alone.
"People should buy the sauce because it tastes great," Coelho said. "But if something they were already going to put on their food can also help feed and care for an orphaned rhino, that gives the purchase another level of meaning."
Horn & Heat products are available at https://hornandheat.com/.
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