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Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

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Pepe Saya

January 18, 2013 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

I really, really like Pepe Saya butter.

Once every couple of months, we make the short trek to their Tempe factory to stock up on supplies…

On our last visit, I had a conversation with Pierre Issa (Pepe). We both agreed that ten years ago a company such as theirs would have struggled – back then, folks were more dollar driven in their purchasing, and a butter specialist who sold his wares for more than double the supermarket price might not have survived.

Yet in 2013, not only are they surviving, but the Pepe Saya company is thriving. And for good reason too – their products are sublime.

We buy our eating butter from them, and it’s quite expensive – $7.50 per 225g (factory price). But it ticks all the right boxes for us – it’s made here in Sydney from grassfed Australian jersey cream, and seasoned with a mix of Olsson’s Kiln Dried and Murray River Pink salts (both Australian). Unlike some commercial butters, it doesn’t have water added to pad it out. It’s produced in small batches, with great care, and is so flavoursome that a little goes a long way – a single wheel will often last us several weeks.

Needless to say, we’re not buying Pepe Saya butter for baking or cooking, but I don’t think that’s what it’s made for. It’s the perfect accompaniment to my sourdough loaves, and a product that I’m extremely happy to be feeding my sons.

Every time we visit the factory, we find that they’ve expanded their range just a little bit.  This week, we brought home a tub of their fabulous Creme Fraiche ($12/litre) – a very thick and rich sour cream from which the butter is churned…

Inspired by Lizzy’s post, we also bought a jar of the new Pepe Saya ghee ($10/jar)…

It’s golden and crumbly and smells amazing…

We don’t have any affiliation with the Pepe Saya company, but we are huge fans of both their products and their high quality approach. If you’re an Aussie, and particularly if you’re a Sydneysider, I’d urge you to seek out their products and try them for yourself. If we want to keep small companies like this in business, it’s important that we support them!

. . . . .

Pepe Saya
Factory: Unit 4, 3 Wood Street, Tempe NSW 2044
Phone: +61 2 9559 1113
Email : info@pepesaya.com.au
Website: www.pepesaya.com.au

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Posted in Food & Friends | 54 Comments

54 Responses

  1. on January 18, 2013 at 2:49 pm bizzylizzycooks

    Celia, thanks so much for the shout out for Pepe and his team. Love their products and I am not affiliated either… a friend in food and great admirer of Pepe’s passion.


    • on January 18, 2013 at 4:42 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Aren’t they great people, Lizzy! I told Hiren I’d seen him on your blog and that he was now famous! :)


  2. on January 18, 2013 at 3:10 pm Tandy

    That ghee looks great!


    • on January 18, 2013 at 4:42 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Tandy, it tastes delicious – I used it in a curry last night! :)


  3. on January 18, 2013 at 3:23 pm Jane @ Shady Baker

    Delicious golden goodness Celia! I feel like a piece of sourdough with Pepe Saya butter now!


    • on January 18, 2013 at 4:43 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Jane, I’m so glad you picked some up in Adelaide! :)


  4. on January 18, 2013 at 3:39 pm Glenda

    Ok, after reading your and Liz’ posts we will give it a bash. Maus is going to buy some on Monday for me. It is a decent drive to the closest distributor but from what you say, it will be worth it:)


    • on January 18, 2013 at 3:44 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Make sure you ring first to check they have stock, Glenda! Or Maus will be cross at me when she get there if they don’t.. :)


  5. on January 18, 2013 at 4:42 pm Miss Piggy

    Their butter is THE BEST! Not sure what to do with ghee though…


    • on January 18, 2013 at 4:43 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Fry roti in it, Mel! :)


  6. on January 18, 2013 at 4:43 pm Sous Chef

    My friends Mum used to make her own farm butter, I was over the moon each time I was given a slab. Love butter.


    • on January 18, 2013 at 4:44 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Sue, it’s hard to beat homemade butter isn’t it? I had some when we visited Pete’s cousins in Mudgee a little while ago!


  7. on January 18, 2013 at 4:51 pm marilynscottwaters

    I love butter. Just a dab on the right veg or bread makes all the difference.I use it also to brown things. <3 Maz


    • on January 18, 2013 at 5:37 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Maz, I thought you were going to say, “I dab it on my pulse points…” like a perfume.. :) xx


  8. on January 18, 2013 at 5:36 pm Claire @ Claire K Creations

    Celia I wasn’t convinced on fancy butters until the food and wine show last year. I tried an organic handmade butter and I was hooked. We don’t eat all that much butter so I still have a little left but I will be replacing it with Pepe Saya. It’s so good you really could eat it on it’s own. Don’t worry I won’t!


    • on January 18, 2013 at 5:38 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Claire, we don’t eat a lot either (although I do bake with a bit), so it’s a real treat to have a good eating butter! x


  9. on January 18, 2013 at 5:45 pm Anne @GtSlamseysFarm

    Good butter on good bread is hard to beat. Glad to see it has some Maldon sea salt in it so you’re eating a little bit of Essex with every mouthful (I live in Essex).


    • on January 18, 2013 at 5:53 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Anne, we buy Maldon sea salt in large buckets and use it for almost everything except bread baking (where I generally prefer a finer grind). I will think of you when we use it – I’ve never known anyone else from Essex before (except Jamie Oliver of course, but I don’t really know him, so he doesn’t count!). :)


    • on January 18, 2013 at 7:10 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Anne, sorry, my mistake, Pepe Saya don’t use the Maldon salt, they use all Australian ones! We use Maldon at home though! :)


  10. on January 18, 2013 at 7:02 pm Kitsa

    The beauty of Pepe Saya’s butter is that it’s cultured so it’s teeming with lots of good bacteria which help digestion – so yes to heat and use in baking would be sacrilegious!


    • on January 18, 2013 at 7:11 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Not to mention expensive! :)


  11. on January 18, 2013 at 9:16 pm Pat Machin

    A bit far for me to travel :-). It is a joy to find really good local food, isn’t it.


    • on January 19, 2013 at 7:27 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Pat, after a lifetime of reading James Herriot, I’m convinced you must have access to amazing butter in Yorkshire! Don’t disillusion me! :)


  12. on January 18, 2013 at 9:24 pm My Kitchen Stories

    Its so good that you are supporting them celia because our small enterprises need all the help they can get. Other butter ( even some of the highly regarded French ones) come into the country frozen, so as Kitsa says, that is pointless as the cultures have been destroyed . Its expensive doing things the right way and a little bit of luxury is not a bad thing. cant wait to get some buttermilk and creme fraiche, so I dont have to buy that supermarket crap!!


    • on January 19, 2013 at 7:27 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Tan, every time I talk to you, I learn something new. I had no idea all our imported butters came into the country frozen – even the NZ ones? And darling, you definitely need to pop into the factory! :)


  13. on January 18, 2013 at 9:40 pm theintolerantchef

    Isn’t great that such a fantastic artisan product is thriving? So yummy indeed! Xox


    • on January 19, 2013 at 7:29 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Becca, I’m really happy that we live in a decade where so many of these small scale manufacturers can operate viably. I think it speaks well of our times! :)


  14. on January 18, 2013 at 10:03 pm cookbooknic

    I love it too. I have bought it through “Harvest Hub” fruit and veg co-op and it comes to my door. Very happy with that.


    • on January 19, 2013 at 7:30 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Oooh, home delivered Pepe Saya butter, how cool is that! :)


  15. on January 18, 2013 at 10:17 pm theclevercarrot

    This Pepe Saya brand looks divine. It’s so great that you support them! You have to tell me how the creme fraiche is… I love that stuff!!!


    • on January 19, 2013 at 7:31 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Em, it is amazing. It is incredibly rich and tangy – I wanted to use it for pastry, but we’re going to struggle not to just dip into it with a spoon.. :)


  16. on January 18, 2013 at 10:36 pm sallybr

    Celia, it’s wonderful that you have access to such a great product, and I hope your post gives him a lot of business! I wish I lived closer, we don’t eat too much butter, so one of these rounds would last us for a long time, I bet you can freeze it? I use ghee sometimes, for instance when grilling lobster tails, I find that ghee is the perfect thing to brush the lobster with.

    I love the packaging also, pretty cool and unique


    • on January 19, 2013 at 7:32 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Sally, it would be a shame to freeze the butter, and it has an expiry date of about three months, so there’s never been a need to! Thanks for the ghee suggestion! xx


  17. on January 18, 2013 at 11:18 pm Norma Chang

    Wonderful that you are supporting your local small producers, they work so hard, not to mention long hours, and take such great care and pride in their products.


    • on January 19, 2013 at 7:33 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Norma, I know this sounds silly, but I’m excited that we have someone making gourmet butter a stone’s throw away from home! And working so hard to make it the best butter possible! :)


      • on January 19, 2013 at 10:51 am Norma Chang

        You are very lucky.


  18. on January 19, 2013 at 12:28 am Platanos, Mangoes and Me!

    I would love to have Pepe in New York..everything looks so creamy and delicious. I wonder…is he from Spanish decent…


    • on January 19, 2013 at 7:34 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Norma, I don’t know if Pierre is Spanish, but I’m sure there’s a story behind the name.. :)


  19. on January 19, 2013 at 1:10 am Heidi

    Local foods are so much better- we have some local dairies that make great butter- not sure if it is the same quality- but I really like some of the Amish made butters here in Ohio!


    • on January 19, 2013 at 7:35 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Heidi, I’m always so interested in the things you buy from the Amish community! I’m sure the butters would be fantastic! x


  20. on January 19, 2013 at 7:50 am lambsearsandhoney

    I just love the growth in these artisan producers in Australia at the moment. We have Kris Lloyd of Woodside Cheese Wrights here in SA – she also makes cultured butter. She gave me one she had flavoured with whiskey which is just sublime!


    • on January 19, 2013 at 8:01 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Whiskey flavoured butter sounds amazing! It’s a great time to be a foodlover – we have so many wonderful specialist producers! :)


  21. on January 19, 2013 at 8:00 am hotlyspiced

    That butter looks amazing and I think it’s great to buy products that are not only made with a lot of love and care but are top quality too. I hate the way commercial butters are watered down. I might have to trek it out to this factory xx


    • on January 19, 2013 at 8:02 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Charlie, I’m just so chuffed that it’s made here in Sydney! I love that such a specialised artisan producer can operate viably in our big city! :)


  22. on January 19, 2013 at 9:52 am ChgoJohn

    This all sounds wonderful, Celia. I’m glad to read his business is booming. It means people are paying closer attention to what they’re eating. That has to be a good thing. :)


    • on January 19, 2013 at 8:05 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      John, I agree, it’s a very good thing indeed! :)


  23. on January 19, 2013 at 11:36 am Jan

    Oh yay, I’ve just discovered where to buy Pepe Sayer in Brisbane. I don’t eat butter but Peter does and I do use ghee. I imagine the butter would be lovely dabbed on steamed vegetables as well. I also like to be able to buy a brand of food that is not dictated to me by a supermarket and where I can feel I’m doing my bit to support small producers. I like too to be able to buy a food, such as milk, which hasn’t been deconstructed and reconstructed.


    • on January 19, 2013 at 8:07 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Jan, you’re so right (about all of it), and it really IS nice to be able to support artisan foods! I hope you and Peter enjoy it as much as we have!


  24. on January 19, 2013 at 3:47 pm Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

    I’m a big fan of their butter too! Pierre is such a great guy too and I’m so glad to see that they’re going well! :D


    • on January 19, 2013 at 8:07 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Their range just keeps expanding, Lorraine! :)


  25. on January 19, 2013 at 7:32 pm Sally

    What a beautiful product. I hate the way saturated fats have been portrayed as the enemy for so long and shun anything ‘light’ or ‘low fat’. Since this advice was given we’ve got more and more unhealthy. Simple products like well made butter are far superior to highly processed spreads. The key is not to over do it in your diet ….and there is evidence that it is actually good for you too. Rant over – lucky you to be able to buy such gorgeous products.


    • on January 19, 2013 at 8:09 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Sally, as I’ve said before, thou art a kindred spirit, and you are more than welcome to rant any time you want here. :) The Pepe Saya butter is so flavoursome that we actually find ourselves eating less of it (somewhat paradoxically). It’s all about taste and flavour and satiety! :)


  26. on January 21, 2013 at 3:34 pm Maureen | Orgasmic Chef

    Is there any better recommendation than someone who’s passionate about a product? I think they should put you on the payroll. :) I love butter and will eat none of the fake stuff. I do make my own flavoured butter on occasion but that’s because I haven’t found any Pepe Saya up here. I must investigate.


    • on January 21, 2013 at 5:22 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      M, I’m pretty sure it’s available up in Brissie – Jan who commented above lives there! I hope you track some down, it’s very good! :)



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