Running a spicy food business might seem all about taste – bold flavours, eye-catching packaging, and that slow-burn satisfaction that hits just right. But behind the scenes at House of Habanero, things run on more than just chilli oil and good vibes. As an e-commerce startup in the UAE, we’ve learned that growing a business means getting smart with systems, tools, and tech.
When you’re juggling dozens of hot sauce brands, coordinating deliveries across borders, and keeping up with pop-ups and events, you quickly realise spreadsheets alone won’t cut it.
Here’s a look at the tech powering the heat – and one tiny metal card that’s unexpectedly changed the way we connect.
Smart Systems for Spicy Goods
Our online store runs on Shopify, which handles everything from product listings and discount codes to upsells and email marketing. It’s the beating heart of our e-commerce operations and integrates easily with the other platforms we use.
To keep things tidy behind the scenes, we rely on Airtable. It’s where we track our inventory imports, manage our vendor database, and onboard new partners. It’s like a digital stockroom and control centre rolled into one.
For creative content, Adobe Express helps us design quick-turnaround visuals for social media and product imagery. It’s nimble enough for a small team and keeps us visually consistent.
Then there’s Zoho Inventory and Zoho Books, which handle our order management, accounting, and UAE VAT compliance. With over 100 SKUs and expiry dates to stay on top of, we needed something scalable but not overwhelming – and Zoho ticks all our boxes. We also work with a local cloud accounting firm each quarter to keep everything above board.
ChatGPT might not technically be on payroll, but it’s become a digital team member of sorts. From HTML tweaks on our site to customer email templates and brainstorming content ideas, it has fast become part of our day-to-day toolkit.
Logistics That Don’t Burn Out
Shipping spicy products in glass jars and bottles across cities, borders, and customs isn’t exactly simple. We’ve partnered with Cheetah Delivery for UAE-wide fulfilment, SMSA for GCC shipping, and Aramex and UPS for international imports and clearance. These relationships are key for keeping delivery smooth and timely, especially during seasonal surges.
We also use WhatsApp Business for customer support. It’s fast, familiar, and makes handling queries feel more personal.
The Power of a Single Tap
One of the smallest tools we use has actually made one of the biggest impressions: the V1CE NFC business card (not an affiliate link fyi).
We picked up a stainless steel, matte red V1CE card with our logo laser-etched into the surface. It’s sleek, bold, and completely paperless. Instead of handing out traditional business cards at supplier meetings or networking events, we now simply tap and our profile loads directly into their phone. No app download needed, no cards lost in pockets or thrown away.
This has made us more memorable. We’ve had messages and calls come through weeks later from people we met briefly, because it’s still quite unique in this market (and they didn’t lose our details!). The card also aligns perfectly with our eco-conscious values. Like our paper-based packaging, fillers, and stickers – and our ongoing recycling partnership with locally based provider ReLoop – the V1CE card means less waste, more intention.
Plus, the software is intuitive and makes it easy to customise what people see depending on the context, whether they’re a client, supplier or collaborator.
Why Local Still Matters
Even in a global digital landscape, regional relevance counts. That’s why we use Tasjeel.ae as our UAE domain provider. They’ve been reliable, fast, and helped us establish a local identity that boosts SEO. It’s a small detail, but it matters when you’re trying to grow a brand from Dubai outward.
Same goes for regional couriers like SMSA and Cheetah, which understand the nuances of local delivery better than most big global players.
There’s no one-size-fits-all blueprint for running a business like House of Habanero. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that having the right tools makes a difference. From staying VAT-compliant to making an impression at your next market, success comes from building the right digital foundation behind the product.