Sarajit Chanda and Sarah Nic Lochlainn were globetrotters in 1999 when they met while working in Sydney, Australia. It was no coincidence that they worked in, arguably, Sydney’s best Indian restaurant as both were passionate about good food and nutrition.

Sarah immediately fell in love with traditional Indian cuisine, its depth of flavour, its authenticity and history, its health and nutritional properties. She also fell in love with Sarajit! The couple married and moved to Dublin in 2001.

In 2005 we opened Fuchsia House Restaurant, Ardee, Co. Louth which in its first year received rave reviews and won many major awards.

Ma Aruna’s Chicken Curry - a recipe given to Sarajit by his mother, Aruna - soon emerged as the most popular dish on our menu. In 2009, due to popular demand we started making Aruna’s Traditional Curry Sauce which we sold directly to the public in our restaurant and at farmers’ markets.

In 2010 we developed 3 more varieties using Aruna’s traditional recipes and methods. The Aruna range was officially launched by Tom Doorley in February 2010. In October we won gold and bronze at the Blas na hEireann (National Irish Food) Awards.

In March 2011, Aruna Sauces won Best New Business and Best Overall Business at the Louth County Enterprise Awards. Not content to rest on our laurels, we have spent the rest of 2011 planning our next move. Aruna Sauces will be relaunched as a range of 8 sauces in clear pouches in January 2012.