Shani and Penny emigrated to Canada in 2005 with their three small children, drawn by the natural, wild beauty of the West Coast. They started the Chili pepper farm and hot sauce business in 2011 in response to the lack of variety in Chilis available on the Island, and of locally made spicy food.

Shani Farboud, aka the Chili Wizard, is an international chef with 30 years’ experience and can be found at the farmer markets and creating new recipes in the farm’s commercial kitchen.

Penny de Waal, self proclaimed Chili Queen of the Cowichan Valley, can be found behind the scenes crunching numbers, and in the greenhouse making sure the crops are fruitful.

All of the chilis grown at Fat Chili Farm are grown inside a glass green house and polytunnels. Currently Fat Chili Farm grows 1000 chili plants, with a range of medium to extremely hot varieties.