Sitto Z
Caoimhe McCarthy Owner & Creator of Artisan Fusion Sauces
The Benefits of Food Marketing & Sales Mentoring
Who Are Sitto Z ?
Sitto Z is a small family run business, who make their own signature artisan chilli sauces, dry rubs and juices. Sitto Z is the product of a shared passion for cooking and a wealth of knowledge passed down from generation to generation, and a desire to share that with the world. They are an Irish owned company that produces a range of fusion sauces, juices and marinades inspired by African/European and middle Eastern flavours. Sitto Z use only the finest fresh chillies, locally sourced ingredients and natural only preservatives.
Inspired by Family
The inspiration for Sitto Z came from a passion for good food, fascination for exploring culinary culturalism, and the amazing individuals Caoimhe has met along the way: Caoimhe’s husband and his grandmother, both of whom influenced every aspect of Sitto Z. “Sitto” is the Arabic word for Grandmother and the name Sitto Z is in itself a homage to her; the best sauce maker that ever lived.
Before Covid, the family always loved having dinner parties and enjoying good food with friends and family. They would spend hours as a family sourcing, preparing and cooking dishes always with sauces to accompany them. It's only when guests would make comments like "if you were to put that in a bottle, I'd buy it" that the realisation occurred that they had something special. It wasn't until one life changing accident in 2016 that they realised that Sitto Z could be their destiny. Caoimhe’s husband, who is a chef by profession, suffered tragic and life altering injuries which rendered his chef days over. Caoimhe needed to fix this and as she scrambled to find a solution, she remembered fondly their visits to his grandmother's house, walks in her garden, and her incredible sauces. Caoimhe knew that they had to start their own "Sitto" inspired range of sauces, thus Sitto Z was born. Caoimhe says “Saving my family became my number one focus” and so the road to self-employment was paved.
Overcoming Challenges as a Family
One of the biggest challenges for Sitto Z was finances, as there was a lack of access to loans, which Caoimhe mentions was crippling. In true Sitto Z style, family members became the source of borrowing, they helped make Sitto Z the family business that it is today. The learning curve has been huge for Caoimhe and her husband, as money wasn’t plentiful and every penny needed to be accounted for. The situation taught Caoimhe some important business lessons regarding budgeting, how to pace herself and to not rush into foolish purchases.
LEO Supports
Caoimhe states “The LEO supports have been a fundamental backbone of my success to date. The expertise, support and access to workshops and training programmes has reaped huge benefits for me. In particular the mentoring. This has changed my life.” Two mentors that continue to work with Caoimhe closely are Lorraine Allen, a LEO Dublin City Marketing & Sales Mentor and Managing Director of Brand Innovation Ireland and Carole Pradel, a specialised Food mentor and Managing Director of CPQM. Carole provides mentoring in Food Safety and HACCAP requirements. Caoimhe adds “Both mentors have stood by my side through every complex step involved in building my business from the ground up. To them I will be forever grateful.”
Website Development, New Markets & Re-branding
Like many, Covid 19 gave Caoimhe the time to pause and carefully calculate the business’ next move. During the first lockdown, she built a website for Sitto Z and made plans to take the business to the outdoor market world. The pause in trading was a key factor in finding ways to adapt to the pandemic, pushing Caoimhe beyond her comfort zone and giving her no alternative but to think outside of the box. The focus turned on re-branding and label design, Lorraine Allen, LEO Marketing and Sales Mentor, recommended a fantastic designer to Caoimhe. The new face of Sitto Z was created.
Next Steps
With all this support behind the business, the next step for Sitto Z is to break into the retail store market and to offer the sauces to stores who share the same ethos and appreciation for quality artisan products: Natural, Fresh and Irish.
Here is the extensive list of Sitto Z products which are all available in 100ml (€3.50) & 250ml (€7) bottles.
Chilli sauces:
Liquid Lava
- Spice Bomb
- Chipotle
- Dakar Peri Peri
- Lime lightning
- Sahara Sunset
- Chilli Nut
- Tamarind
- Chilli basil
- Heatwave
- Salad Splash
- Spicy BBQ.
Contact Details
Caoimhe Mc Carthy
(086) 845 8712
OPENING HOURS 8:00AM-9:00PM
www.sittoz.com
www.instagram.com/sittozsauces