South Devon Chilli Farm is set for its busiest festive season yet as the much-loved local business takes its fiery flavours on the road to three major Christmas markets for the first time.

The farm, based near Loddiswell, has previously appeared at just one market each year, but 2025 marks a bold expansion with stalls at Exeter (20 November–19 December), Bath (27 November–14 December) and Cardiff (13 November–23 December).

The team will be selling their signature chilli chocolates, sauces and preserves – but centre stage this year is something entirely new. The farm has officially entered the world of spirits, launching its first chilli vodka in collaboration with Okehampton-based distillers Tors Vodka.

The decision marks a significant milestone for the independent business, which has built a loyal customer base over two decades of growing and crafting chilli-based products in the South Hams.

Jenny, who bought the farm with her husband Amrit in 2022, said the leap into new markets and new products felt both exhilarating and daunting. “We’re really excited to be expanding to three markets this year, but I won’t pretend we’re not a little nervous,” she admitted. “We’ve never done it before and you can never predict how a market will go – it sort of happened by accident but it felt like the right moment to challenge ourselves.”

The chilli vodka – a Scorpion Chilli infusion – has been quietly in development following repeated customer requests for a chilli-based spirit. Jenny said the team put considerable thought into how to approach it.

“A chilli spirit has been requested a lot, so we started exploring the idea,” she said. “We wanted the first spirit to be a vodka because it’s a good neutral base, so you can really taste the chilli – and it’s a very versatile spirit which works great in lots of different cocktails or on it’s own.”

Partnering with Tors Vodka was a deliberate choice, rooted in the farm’s longstanding commitment to local production. “Keeping the production local and supporting other businesses was really important to us,” Jenny explained. “We went with Tors because they are specific to vodka and Devon-based, which mattered. Tors have been so good with the product and really easy to work with.”

The resulting Scorpion Chilli vodka packs a clean, warming kick and is being launched alongside a collection of suggested cocktail recipes designed to spice up the Christmas holidays. It will be sold exclusively through South Devon Chilli Farm – at their markets, in their shop, and online – with a Black Friday offer planned for subscribers and social media followers.

While the expanded Christmas market circuit may present logistical challenges, the farm sees this season as an opportunity to celebrate growth, deepen ties with local producers and bring their distinctive South Devon heat to a wider audience.