Grace Foods UK is thrilled to announce the 50th birthday celebration of its iconic hot sauce brand, Encona. To commemorate this milestone, the company is launching limited-edition anniversary branding across its entire product range.
This special branding will pay tribute to Encona, featuring unique 50th-anniversary emblemed signature packaging. You can find these limited-edition products at all major supermarket chains and convenience stores throughout the UK.
As the UK’s leading supplier of Caribbean food and drink (source: Circana – UK Caribbean Food & Drink, Retail Sales – Period: MAT 22 March 2025), Grace Foods UK is engaging shoppers through various activations in Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and independent stores across the UK as part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations.
Kimberley Lue Lim, head of marketing for Grace Foods UK, remarked: “Encona is still the UK’s best-loved hot pepper sauce. We take immense pride in this, and we are eager to celebrate this momentous occasion. From the launch of the first Encona sauce – the West Indian Original Hot Pepper Sauce – in London in 1975 to the diverse range of sauces and chili jams we offer today, inspired by the Caribbean, India, the Far East, and the USA.”
“Our trade activities, including in-store shopper activations with Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and independents, will play a vital role in our 50th-anniversary campaign. For customers unfamiliar with Encona’s 50-year legacy and Caribbean heritage, our anniversary celebrations will heighten awareness that Encona is the original hot sauce in the UK market.”
Moreover, we have exciting consumer activities on the horizon, including a partnership with Time Out London for the Hot Sauce Summer event.
Additionally, Encona will collaborate with Great British Chefs to create five unique recipes – one for each decade of bold Encona flavor. Journalist and food writer Melissa Thompson has penned a “Love Letter to Encona,” detailing her lifelong connection with the brand. Furthermore, the Great British Chefs Kitchen in-house recipe development team has crafted Encona-inspired dishes as part of this campaign.
Since its inception in 1975, Encona has captured the hearts of many celebrities. Notably, the beloved ’80s Trinidadian actor Rudolph Walker (Love Thy Neighbour, The Thin Blue Line, EastEnders) added star power to Encona’s launch in supermarkets during the 1980s. Various well-known personalities have openly expressed their affection for the sauce, including Naomi Campbell, Alesha Dixon, Gordon Ramsay, Rylan Clark, Jade Thirlwall, and Romesh Ranganathan. Interestingly, a bottle of Encona was even featured by then-Prime Minister David Cameron to spice up his sardines on toast during his appearance in a TV show in 2015.
