FAQs

Who is Ma Foo?

Ma Foo is the term of endearment that we used in our family to refer to Ben’s mother and the boys’ grandmother (Ah Neh). It is a special name for us as we loved Ma Foo/Ah Neh/Mum very much!

Who is Nonna Piccante’?

Nonna Piccante means “spicy grandma” in Italian. It doesn’t refer to anyone in particular but we think it captures the essence of our product- Italian, a little spicy and fun.

Tell me about the characters on the jars and the trays.

The symbol on the Ma Foo jar is the Chinese character for Foo. The character on the Nonna Piccante jar is a super-cute grandma.

Are the recipes for the products old family recipes?

The Ma Foo chilli oil was developed by our family over years. As is very common in Chinese/Malaysian households, chili oil is a staple with most meals. So we decided to develop our own… and we think we have nailed it!

The Nonna Piccante chilli oil was developed so that we could add a similar ‘zing’ to our Italian meals. Most Italian chilli oils are quite simple- olive oil and dried chilli peppers pepperoncino. Our Italian style chilli oil is a more complex flavour and has a crunch that we love!

What oil do you use?

For Ma Foo Chill Oil we use 100% Australian vegetable oil. This is a neutral oil and allows for the flavours from the ingredients to dominate.

For Nonna Piccante we use 100% Australian vegetable oil and a Spanish olive oil. We use a combination of vegetable oil and olive oil so the flavours can shine through without being dominated by the olive oil… but we love a little of that olive oil taste to come through.

How spicy are the chill oils?

We categorise the oils as having a ‘medium kick’. For people who love their food super spicy, we are creating a spicier blend for you! For everyone else, you will find the chilli oils have a little heat. They are more about the flavour and crunch than the heat.

Many people find the Nonna Piccante chilli oil a little spicier than Ma Foo chilli oil.

What are the ingredients in the chilli oils?

Ma Foo Chilli Oil: vegetable oil, shallots, chilli flakes, soy bean paste, chilli powders, garlic, sugar, cinnamon, salt, sechuan peppercorns, star anise, cardamon, bay leaves.

Ma Foo Chilli Oil contains soy paste.

Nonna Piccante: vegetable oil, shallots, olive oil, chilli flakes, capers, garlic, sugar, porcini, thyme, salt, oregano, peppercorns, fennel seeds, bay leaves

Are the chilli oils gluten free, dairy free, nut free and vegan?

Whilst we don’t add any ingredients into the chill oil that contain gluten, dairy, meat products or nuts, we do produce our chilli oils on shared machinery so we cannot guarantee that there are no traces of these products in our chilli oils.

What about the shelf life of the product?

The best before date can be found at the base of each jar.

We are advertising a shelf life of 6 months. This is very conservative and based on the advice of our food safety consultant - we expect the real shelf life to be 12 months. But we need to go through testing before we put this on our labels (testing is in progress). Other ‘like’ products have a shelf life of 12 months.

We think you will finish the chilli oil before the best before date anyway!

Do I need to refrigerate the oil after opening?

Not necessarily. To maintain the crunchiness, we recommend refrigerating after opening.

But you can also store it in a cool dry place (like a pantry)- it is "shelf stable".

What are the expected delivery times?

Delivery within Melbourne metro: Usually 1–2 business days

Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide metro: Usually 2–3 business days

National (major cities and regional): Usually 3–7 business days

Perth: usually 4-8 business days

Remote areas: May take longer, depending on the location

Who are your delivery partners/couriers?

We use Australia Post for our deliveries.

We have found Australia Post is the most reliable for customers.

What if my order arrives damaged?

Please contact us immediately at sales@foochillicompany.com.au

This email inbox is monitored every day between 8am and 6pm

My order hasn’t arrived

Please check your order status on the website

If the order is taking longer than expected delivery times, please contact us at sales@foochillicompany.com.au

Can you tell me more about your sustainable packaging?

We are doing everything we can to minimise use of plastic and to eliminate waste.

All our packaging is recyclable and biodegradable and wherever possible, we use recycled products.

Our mailing boxes are corrugated cardboard and made from 100% recycled paper.

Our packaging tape is made with a natural kraft paper backing and water-activated starch adhesive, it’s 100% biodegradable, recyclable, and eco-friendly—no need to separate it from cardboard during recycling.

Our kraft honeycomb wrapping (hex paper) is crafted from 100% recyclable materials

Our jar labels are made from recycled kraft paper and are not plastic coated (you will notice that the labels will stain from the oil… this is because the labels are not plastic coated… we also think it looks pretty good!)

The labels are biodegradable and compostable and printed using non-toxic inks on a solar powered printing press.

Our 'tamper evident' stickers use non-toxic inks and the glues are food grade. The backing sheet is made from 100% glassine. They are also biodegradable and compostable .

And the shredded paper in the gift boxes is 100% recyclable and biodegradable.

Our gift boxes are made from 50% recycled paper. And are 100% recyclable.

Can I return the product?

We accept returns if the product is damaged or defective. Contact us on sales@foochillicompany.com.au