MIAMI - s4story -- Barbaro Mojo, a small-batch Cuban hot sauce company founded in Miami in 2020, has earned twelve honors across five national blind-judged competitions, a run that includes 1st Place for Best Latin Hot Sauce at the International Flavor Awards, 1st Place for Best Cuban Hot Sauce at Old Boney Mountain's international competition, and a Grand Prize for product packaging at the Scovie Awards.

Every competition on the list judges blind: sauces are tasted from coded cups with no labels or brand names visible. The Scovie Awards draw roughly 1,000 entries a year from companies across 35 states and 14 countries. The Fiery Food Challenge is the longest-running blind-tasting competition in the fiery foods industry.

Barbaro Mojo builds every sauce on mojo criollo, the sour orange and garlic marinade at the center of Cuban cooking, then adds fresh whole peppers ranging from jalapeno to Carolina Reaper. The result is a five-sauce lineup covering one flavor family at heat levels from medium to extra hot.

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"Cuban food was never about burning your mouth, it was about flavor," said Mario Cruz, the Cuban-American founder of Barbaro Mojo. "I entered blind competitions on purpose. No story, no label, no Miami charm. Just the sauce in a cup against a thousand others. Twelve ribbons later, I feel pretty good about the recipe my family would recognize."

The full award record:

- International Flavor Awards: El Havanero, 1st Place, Best Latin Hot Sauce
- Old Boney Mountain Hot Summer Night: El Havanero, 1st Place, Best Cuban Hot Sauce; Jalabao, 3rd Place; company ranked 19th Best Small-Batch Hot Sauce Company worldwide
- Scovie Awards 2025: Jalabao, 2nd Place, Unique Mild/Medium; Pinazo, 2nd Place, World Beat; Grand Prize, Product Packaging
- Fiery Food Challenge / Golden Chile: Jalabao, Best Hot Sauce (Mild) and Best Latin Style (2024); Matanza, 3rd Place, Latin Style Hot/X-Hot (2025); Best Day Ever, 3rd Place, Spicy Sweet (2025)
- Zest Fest: Pinazo, 2nd Place, People's Choice

About Barbaro Mojo: Barbaro Mojo makes small-batch Cuban hot sauce in Miami, Florida, built on traditional mojo criollo with fresh whole peppers and no extracts. The name comes from the Cuban expression "Que Barbaro!", used when something is incredible. Sauces are available at https://barbaromojo.com