It all started with onebite that was too hot.

The first time I tasted a truly hot dish, I thought I’d never do that to myself again. It was bad. But a couple of weeks later something inside said — try it once more.

The second time was just as bad. Only this time, curiosity had been awakened.

That’s how my search began — amateur at first, then at ever more serious levels. I wanted to understand why it burns, why it feels so good afterwards, and why there are so many people in the world who deliberately want this pain.

Chilli high — why do we eat what causes pain?

Heat is pain. But a very peculiar pain. The more you suffer while eating, the bigger the reward afterwards — more oxygen in the blood, a rush of adrenaline, the body releasing its own painkillers. It’s called the chili high — a cocktail of effects that every chili-head chases, often without realising it.

From a single box of sauces to Halės market

I spent 15 years in hospitality — bars, restaurants, concepts, teams. At some point I became a hot-products distributor in Lithuania. And the more I worked with them, the clearer it became — this is more than a niche. It’s a movement ready to explore the world of heat even further.

In 2021 I opened Lithuania’s first hot-products shop, “Aštriai Aštru,” at Halės market. Many tapped their temple and said I wouldn’t last a couple of months — we Lithuanians don’t eat spicy, after all.

Today they’re warming up to heat and come to buy sauce.

I grow the peppers. I peel the onions and fill the bottles myself.

I grow most of the peppers myself — from jalapeño to Carolina Reaper, one of the hottest in the world. I know the plant’s needs from seed to picking the fruit.

Today we make sauces. We run tastings. We organise heat challenges. We develop collabs with the biggest names in the field. We invite everyone to give in to curiosity and dive into hot experiences.

Marketing isn’t my job — my work becomes the marketing

I fill every bottle myself. I still remember the first customers I personally delivered sauces to, right to their door. I’m always glad to get a message of thanks with one demand — don’t stop doing what you do.

Heat in Lithuania speaks louder and louder, quickly clearing away fears and myths. And I want every person who says “I want to try” for the first time to get the right answer and a pleasant experience.

Hotly yours. Truly hotly yours. Aštriai aštru.

—Liudas Pranskevičius, founder