FAQs

Our Chilli Oil
How should I use Yok Chan's Chilli Oil (YCCO)?
You can use it whichever way you want! We started off using it as a condiment predominantly, sprinkling it over our meals. But soon we found ourselves mixing it in with other sauces and condiments, using it in marinades, salad dressings, as garnishes and toppings. The list goes on..

What can I use the chilli oil with?
In the early days, my memory was mainly using the chilli oil with Yok Chan's noodles. However as time went by and as it was discovered by more people, we soon realised how well it went with other things.

The two initial most well-paired foods that alerted us to it's prowess, the main well-trodden gateways if you will, are cheese and eggs. Every form of egg, every type of cheese. It doesn't just add to them, it TRANSFORMS them. They are the chilli oil's best friends.

It also goes just as spectacularly with fish, honestly. Try it with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs and I assure you that dish will enter a new dimension.

The chilli oil also heightens other foods in the same way, whether it's fried rice, pasta, dumplings, curries, risotto, tacos, soups, salads.. It's sort of more now what we don't use it with. It really does go well with everything.
Can I use YCCO as a marinade?
For sure! You can do whatever you like with the chilli oil and marinating is defo up there. 
What other types of sauces do you sell?
Currently Yok Chan's Chilli Oil is the only product we are selling. We are constantly brain storming in terms of other variations and other products, however with our current operational base we're sticking with the one product, for now.
Where are your sauces made?
We're still making the chilli oil in small batches, so YCCO is currently made in Yok Chan's registered home kitchen. As we're still establishing ourselves as a business, this makes sense until we've expanded production so much that we need a larger premises (hopefully!).
How spicy is Yok Chan's Chilli Oil?
Ah good question, as we know that everyone has their own level of spice tolerance. We think that YCCO has a medium level of spice, not too spicy that it will blow your head off, but not too mild that you won't get that sought-after kick.
 
That said, if you have a constitution that is sensitive to chilli, definitely start off with small amounts at first. As the saying goes, 'if you have sensitive guts, don't go nuts..'
How come some batches are hotter/milder than others?
During covid when our main brand of chillies became unavailable, we had to try others to see if they produced similar results. With limited supply we could only grab what we could to produce batches, in which some were hotter/milder.

It was a learning curve, mixing and matching until we finally got it right. We have to a degree, standardised the process. But as it's homemade and supply can be inconsistent, plus there's every chance that Yok Chan will go rogue, there's a tiny possibility that some batches might be hotter or milder.

It has however paved the way for variations of YCCO, so watch this space.
What is the shelf life of YCCO?
We recommend that once opened, store it in a fridge and consume within four weeks. Our use by date is normally seven months after that production/batch.

We are currently waiting for lab tests for actual shelf life dates for our product in particular. For now we've looked at similar products and used similar use by dates (which was approved by our food safety consultancy).
How should I store YCCO?
Once opened, store in the fridge for up to four weeks, if you can wait that long.

However before you get to the blissful, wonderful joy of opening a new jar, store unopened jars in a cool, dry place. Our use by date is normally seven months after production.
Does YCCO contain MSG?
Yok Chan's Chilli Oil does not contain MSG.
 
Just for the record, MSG is not as bad as some people might think it is :)
Allergy and Dietary Info
Does YCCO contain any allergens?
Yok Chan's Chilli Oil does not use ingredients derived from any of the main allergens. 

However as we use ingredients sourced from larger suppliers that have 'may contain' warnings, plus the chilli oil is handmade in a home kitchen, we cannot guarantee it is 100% free from a specific allergen.

Therefore with the ingredients sourced, the chilli oil may contain traces of wheat, soya, treenuts, peanuts, sesame, milk products, mustard, celery and sulphites. Although great care is taken to control any cross contamination risks.
Is Yok Chan's Chilli Oil vegan and/or vegetarian?
Yok Chan's Chilli Oil doesn't use ingredients derived from animals or animal products. As some ingredients have 'may contain' warnings and YCCO is currently made in a home kitchen, we can't guarantee our product is 100% free from milk products, although great care is taken to control any cross contamination risks.

It's still being debated if products that have precautionary statements such as “may contain milk etc..” can be classed as ‘vegan’. Even though a few organisations say that products with 'may contain..' items can be classed as vegan, for now we've decided to be as transparent as possible and let the customer decide based on the info provided.

That said, YCCO is suitable for vegetarians.
Does Yok Chan's Chilli Oil contain nuts?
There are no nuts used in our chilli oil recipe.

However as the chilli oil uses ingredients sourced from larger suppliers that have 'may contain' warnings regarding tree nuts and peanuts, plus is handmade in a home kitchen, we cannot guarantee it is 100% free from nuts. Although great care is taken to control any cross contamination risks.
Is YCCO gluten-free?
The ingredients used in our chilli oil do not contain gluten.

Though as the chilli oil uses ingredients sourced from larger suppliers that have 'may contain' warnings regarding wheat, plus allergens are present on site in our home kitchen, we can't guarantee our product is 100% free from gluten. Although great care is taken to control any cross contamination risks.

It's not clear as to whether or not using ingredients with 'may contain wheat/barley/rye' warnings can be classed as gluten-free, so we've not classed it as gluten-free for now, letting the customer decide based on our info.
Shipping
How will my delivery be packaged?
We have different sized boxes for the different bundles. As they are glass jars full of oil, we pad out the packages with cardboard and packing material to try and minimise any damage in transit. We also for now, wrap padding to the lid to minimise any leakages. 

We currently use plain boxes and packing material due to costs, but one day we might create more bespoke and branded material, which is still sustainable. 
Can I track my order?
If you choose a shipping method with tracking, we'll send your tracking number either automatically through the site or via an email.
Do you ship to the EU/outside of the UK?
We're starting off only shipping to the UK, gradually looking into the protocol of international shipping as we go forward.

We definitely want to ship to the EU/internationally in the future, in which I'm hoping that when we look into it, it will turn out to be quite easy.
What is your returns policy?
Due to the nature of our product, we don't offer items to be returned. However if the item has arrived damaged or defective and you can provide photo evidence, we'd be happy to send you a replacement or a refund.
 
Even if we've checked each jar thoroughly, jars can occasionally arrive having leaked a bit. This is really beyond our control and we've created a temporary measure to prevent this. But just to say there's a tiny chance some jars will arrive where some oil has escaped. 
 
Just to add, if the product has only leaked a bit, it's still perfectly fine to use. However of course if you're not satisfied, we will be happy to send a replacement or a refund.
Do you offer free shipping?
Yes we currently offer free regular shipping for orders £35 and over. 
What else should I know about YCCO shipping?
We're keen on re-using as much cardboard as possible and you may notice that some deliveries will have used cardboard from our own old boxes for protective padding.
 
We want to re-use cardboard material as much as we can, even if there's branding from other businesses. It's a no brainer for us to utilise and recycle old materials, so we'll be using it when we can.




Where's My Order?
Where IS your order?
 
We currently offer 1st and 2nd class, 48 hour tracked and 24 hour tracked postage. 

We recommend using the Royal Mail 48 tracked shipping method as it's quite cheap and will most of time get there in two working days. It's also tracked, which is always a bonus.
 
We are only using Royal Mail at the moment, who are proving reliable. We tried another courier but after a few quite big mishaps, we're sticking with just Royal Mail for now. 
Why is there stupid kitchen roll cellotaped to the top of the jar?

Ah. So we've had instances where jars leaked in transit which resulted in oil getting everywhere, ruining everything! As a quick workaround, we implemented this temporary but also primitive solution to eliminate leakages. It’s worked so far but we’re very aware that it’s not ideal, unprofessional looking and frankly a bit of a pain.

Until we've got a better sealing or packaging process, we need to seal the jars somehow to minimise leakages. Weighing it up, it’s better temporarily having this albeit ugly solution, instead of packages arriving with oil everywhere. This is our main conundrum and we will endeavour to improve this where we can in 2024.

Shop
Why did your website re-launch take so long?
As we're still relatively getting started, we decided to do everything ourselves. This involved a lot of trial and error and head scratching, which resulted in the website's 'user readiness' taking a bit more time. Plus everything like photos, design, understanding the platform was all DIY.. plus there was a bit of faffing.

But hey we're very chuffed that it's finally here! For all of your browsing enjoyment.
What's the maximum amount I can buy of each bundle?
You can buy as much as you want as long as we have stock. However as shipping rates in our site have all been manually calculated and uploaded (due to accuracy lacking using apps), the maximum you can order to get Tracked 24 shipping is 10 of each bundle. After that your only option is to use the other shipping routes.
There are various bundles & shipping rates, how should I order to get the best value for money?
Essentially the most economical route is to buy more jars at a time, as subtle a marketing sales pitch that is.. But the shipping brackets are the same for one jar as it is for two jars and for four, and the same for six jars as it is for eight/twelve. 
 
So you're making the most of your purchase if you order more jars within that shipping bracket:

Current Royal Mail shipping rates for the weights and dimensions of our boxes

Adding that postage to the different jar quantities, it works out as follows:



As you can see when taking the shipping rates into account, it's the least economical to buy just the one jar, as it tallies up to £9.74 even when using the cheapest shipping method.

It's also important to note that the price per jar gets lower the more you buy, via our bundles:



In tandem with more economical shipping rates, plus free shipping currently for purchases £35+, there is a sweet spot in terms what's the most value for money:



Based on shipping rates and our bundles, buying between 4 - 12 jar bundles is where you get the most bang for your buck in terms of price per jar. 

We also acknowledge that this isn't ideal for first time buyers/those who just want to try our product, but it's unfortunately how it works with shipping rates and other factors. We're quite sure however that once you try one jar, if you come back, you'll be ordering more. 
Do you offer any discounts or promotions?
We currently do free delivery if your order is £35 and over. There'll be various promotions such as seasonal discounts and introductory offers, so keep your eye out for those!
I remember the price from before, how come it has gone up?
OK this is an important one. We spent a lot of time reviewing the selling price due to there being new factors. Before when it was more of a side hustle, we absorbed the various costs and expenses that went into the business as we had full time jobs.
 
As it's now a full time focus, we needed to account for the operational costs that go into making the chilli oil e.g. labour, wages, gas, ingredients, couriers, consultancy, software.. all of the things. 
 
Another factor is everything has gone up in price, especially things like sunflower oil, jars and energy. We've tried to absorb increases as much as possible but we have had to include some increases into the pricing in order to operate, especially as we're spending most of our revenue on surviving and when we can, building our business.
 
However after some market research*, we saw that our previous pricing was lower than most of what was out there. So we've also adjusted the retail price with the knowledge of the average price of chilli oils from similar brands/manufacturers that are on the market:

 
It's been a proper head scratcher but we hope we've got it where it's high enough to be in line within the market and not undercut everyone, and low enough to remain accessible, but not too low where we're not covering all of our costs.
 
Everything is still hand-made and in small batches, where production is still quite hands-on and a relatively lengthy process, so we think the pricing is suitable for what the product is. However this is specifically relevant to the single jar price. You can save if you buy larger bundles, which makes it a cheaper price per jar! (See Shop FAQs on how to buy tactically).

*market research was extensive searching of online stores, plus a few brick and mortar stores
Are there any issues or constraints when it comes to ordering?
For now there is one aspect of the ordering process that we haven't been able to properly fix, which is ordering multiple bundles at once. This is due to us having to manually enter scales rather than using courier rates via an app, which didn't calculate to our requirements.

For some combinations, the shipping rate combines the shipping rate of the bundles as opposed to adding up the weight to give an accurate postage price. It does it as follows:

Accurate real postage
3 jars plus 1 jar postage = 4 jars, therefore equalling £3.29 Tracked 48 shipping.

Website current postage
3 jars plus 1 jar postage = 3 jars postage (£3.29) + 1 jar postage (£3.29, calculating at £6.58 Tracked 48 shipping.

This mainly occurs with smaller bundle combos that are below £35 and don't trigger free postage, and combinations using Tracked 24 rates (which we do not include as an option for free postage). 

We therefore advise that if you're ordering multiple bundles, either order them one at a time or tally up the quantity and order a larger bundle that equals the same as the multiple bundles. We apologise for any inconvenience but it's the best we can do for now!
Wholesale
Can we purchase YCCO wholesale?
For sure, we're always looking for new stockists. Please send your query to yokchanschillioil@gmail.com
Are you SALSA accredited?
We aren't SALSA accredited as of yet but it is one of our aims for the future. We will let everyone know when we are so we can potentially stock more suppliers.
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