Saucy range hits the bulls-eye

MURRAY WILSON/Manawatu Standard

NOT FOR WIMPS: Palat-a-bull owner Lyndon Tamblyn with the tongue-in-cheek sauce selection he has created to help put Bulls on the map.

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No bulls were harmed in the making of Bulls Semen Sauce.

In fact, according to creator Lyndon Tamblyn, each bottle of the cloudy stuff was taken from the bulls with their consent.

Pry a little further though, and he'll cut the bull.

"It's actually a herb vinaigrette," the Bulls businessman and owner of Palat-a-bull said, giving the bottle a shake before squirting its contents onto a pile of lettuce.

If that's not enough to turn the stomach, how about a drop of Bulls Eye Chilli Sauce, tested on bulls? Or the Bulls Blood Tomato Sauce, freshly squeezed?

"Then of course, the Cows Custard Mustard looks like poo," said Mr Tamblyn, reaching for an off-yellow tub.

"Ew Dad, not while we're eating," groaned his eight-year-old daughter, Michaela.

Long-term Bulls resident Mr Tamblyn launched his sauces last November, after deciding he wanted a playful product to help promote his home town.

Though some warned his marketing idea was too risky, Mr Tamblyn has since sold thousands of bottles.

Taking the sauces to trade fairs around the country, he found everyone from farmers to little old ladies "having a little chuckle to themselves", he said.

"The rural sense of humour definitely works. When people get offended I just think `come on guys, have a bit of fun'."

Many taste-testers were taken aback by the heat of the Bulls Eye Chilli Sauce, which is more fiery than might be expected, he said.

"But when you've got a label like a bull's bum, people start to realise it's not a wimpy chilli sauce."

Local stockists have reported a stampede for the sauces, and Mr Tamblyn is now planning on branching into alcoholic beverages and beef jerky.

Rumour has it that Prime Minister John Key is also a fan, after Mr Tamblyn presented him with a gift pack on his recent visit to Bulls.

"I thought, he's a barbecue man."

The sauce is made in Marlborough from mainly New Zealand ingredients – and though the branding might be a gimmick, the taste is for real, he said.

"You don't want to put an average product in a fun bottle."

Locals support his venture, and he hopes to gain the town some publicity, Mr Tamblyn said.

"It's putting the town into the spotlight again."

Bulls, population 1650, has become known for its "Unforgetta-bull" marketing campaign.

Locals claim it as a "town like no udder," with signs for "knowledge-a-bull" primary schools and "fashion-a-bull" shops.

- © Fairfax NZ News