How Salt Gang is building bonds through bold flavours

Lucy Rose and partner Thomas Abildgaard from Salt Gang

Salt Gang is a small-batch condiment company driven by curiosity, bold flavour, and a genuine love of cooking. Based in Adelaide, the business was born during the uncertainty of the COVID years. Founders Lucy Rose and her partner Thomas Abildgaard had set off to Vietnam for a long-term adventure, but the pandemic brought them back to Australia. While staying with Lucy’s family, they began to reimagine their future - and a new venture started to take shape.

“We were just feeling so stuck and very depressed and lost…Thomas just suddenly came to me with this idea for selling the condiments that we’d been making for friends and family for Christmas and stuff,” explained Lucy. “I thought he was absolutely insane. I just thought, ‘Are you kidding? Selling little jars at farmer’s markets - no, no, no! Please don’t drag me into this!’”

Despite her initial hesitation, their first market was a revelation. “We started doing one farmer’s market a month and had such a lovely warm reception - having that steady interaction with customers and also with other business owners…other people who just had a little small thing going. 

“Within a year or so it was our full-time job. We just started doing more and more markets and the local food scene was really welcoming. A lot of small cafes started stocking us and it just kind of snowballed from there.”

Condiments have long been a passion for Lucy and Thomas, who are both seasoned cooks: “It’s funny - whenever we talk to other people who love cooking it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve got a real condiment problem in the fridge!’. We’ve always used a lot of fermentation as well because that was something we were doing a lot of and experimenting hugely with.”

Salt Gang prides itself on sourcing minimally-processed local Australian ingredients whenever possible - like local honey and strawberries, and Queensland vanilla for their fermented honey - and supplementing with imported spices where Australian-grown varieties are not available.

Their philosophy centres on connection through food. “I really do think there is something in the intimacy and immediacy of sharing food. It’’s a point of trust, what other people give to us that we put in our mouths -  it creates trust with another person. 

“Having easy food that you can use to boost your pleasure in a simple way is really important. But essentially I want people to feel connected to the food that they eat and connected to other people through it.”

Salt Gang’s chilli crisps, their best-selling product, begin with a rich, slow-infused oil as the base. The oil is carefully combined with a variety of spices, garlic, and herbs, ensuring it is full-flavoured even before any other ingredients are added. This base is then blended with fried shallots, hand-fried garlic, and crispy bits of chilli, creating a texture that is both crunchy and aromatic. Every element is prepared by hand to ensure the depth of flavour and crispiness that pre-fried alternatives simply cannot match.

For their fermented honeys, each jar is created through a slow fermentation process of honey, chillies, and garlic, which takes about a month to complete. During this time, the flavours transform, developing tangy, complex, and layered profiles that enhance the natural sweetness of the honey. The result is a versatile condiment that can elevate a wide range of dishes, embodying Salt Gang’s philosophy of using simple ingredients to create extraordinary taste experiences.

“We also do the strawberry and vanilla dessert fermented honey as well…it becomes full of lactic acid, which makes it way more tangy and light and all these flavours develop which is so much more than the sum of its parts.”

The favourite part of Salt Gang for Lucy is working with Thomas and the kind of lifestyle it has created for them: “I wake up in the morning and usually go for a walk down the beach, and go for an evening walk, and go to the gym when I want…and just to spend so much time with Thomas is completely invaluable to me.”

Now supplying over 70 stores and managing 21 products, Salt Gang continues to grow while staying close to its community. “In five years, I would hope that Salt Gang is going strong and that we have a warehouse of our own and our own space. I just want to have enough stability to be safe and secure and keep everyone I love safe and secure and throw mad dinner parties. 

“I love Salt Gang and I’m very grateful for everything it’s given me.”

You can find out more about Salt Gang, a browse their delicious range of products, at www.saltgang.com.au