The Legend of Awazé
For over five hundred years, awazé has graced the tables of Ethiopian royal courts and village feasts alike. Born in the highlands of the Ethiopian plateau, this fire-red paste was first recorded in the kitchens of Emperor Zara Yaqob in the 15th century — a condiment so prized it was presented as a gift to visiting dignitaries.
The word awazé carries profound meaning: in the old court tongue, it translates as "the voice that announces fire" — a fitting name for a paste that speaks before you taste it, its aroma filling the room with the warmth of ancient spice routes.
At its heart lies berbere — Ethiopia's sacred spice blend — married with aged chilies, bishop's weed (netch azmud), sacred basil (besobela), and tej, the traditional honey wine that carries the paste's heat into a lingering sweetness. Together they form a flavor unlike any other: bold, complex, ancient.
Awazé was not merely food — it was ceremony. It marked celebrations, sealed alliances, and honored guests. To offer awazé was to offer the finest your kitchen could give.
The Birth of Kino
Kino is Amharic for "the real one." It's a declaration, not a brand name — a promise that what you hold in your hands is the genuine article, unchanged by shortcuts or substitutions.
Our founder grew up watching her grandmother prepare awazé every weekend in Addis Ababa. The recipe traveled with the family across two continents — to London, then to North America — carried in handwritten notebooks and the memory of a kitchen that always smelled like home.
Years of adaptation, of watching friends and neighbors fall in love with that taste, led to a question: "Why isn't this available everywhere?"The answer became Kino Awazé.
Every jar is crafted using chilies and spices sourced directly from Gurage Zone cooperatives and the legendary Addis Ababa Merkato — the largest open-air market in Africa. No preservatives. No fillers. No shortcuts. Just the real one.
