A little corner of Nicaragua, ready to take home.
Small-batch hot sauce, frozen nacatamales, single-origin coffee and goods — straight from Chef Armando's kitchen in Hudson Valley, NY.
Browse the shop
Best SellerKitchen
OrganicFrozen Nacatamales
House-made · banana-leaf wrapped
$9
House SpecialtyPantry
OrganicEl Nica Hot Sauce
House specialty · heat with flavor
$10
NewPantry
Caturra Tueste Especial
Nicaraguan · ground
$16
Apparel
El Nica's Cap
Premium cotton · designed for comfort
$20
Accessories
El Nica's Leather Handle Bag
Hand-painted in Nicaragua
$55
Apparel
El Nica's Shirt
Made in Nicaragua · 100% cotton
$25
The Process
Recipes from Nicaragua. Cooked, bottled and wrapped in Hudson Valley.
Every jar of hot sauce, every banana-leaf nacatamal, every bag of Caturra coffee is made by hand in small batches. We source what we can locally, bring the rest straight from home, and never cut a corner that you'd taste.
- Sauces simmered low and slow — no shortcuts, no fillers.
- Nacatamales wrapped in fresh banana leaf, flash-frozen the same day.
- Apparel and bags made by artisans in Nicaragua, finished here.
Local Pickup & Delivery
Poughkeepsie, NY and the surrounding Hudson Valley.
Small-Batch · No Shortcuts
Hand-prepped in our own kitchen, weekly.
Made With Love
Same standards as the food on the plate.
FAQs
Questions, answered.
Shipping, shelf life, how to cook the nacatamales — the things people ask us most. If your question isn't here, drop us a line.
Ask a question- Pantry items (hot sauce, coffee) and apparel ship across the continental US. Frozen items like nacatamales are local pickup or Hudson Valley delivery only — message us with your zip and we'll confirm.
- Unopened: 12+ months in a cool, dark cabinet. Once opened, refrigerate and use within ~6 months — though most bottles disappear long before that.
- Steam straight from frozen for about 45 minutes (or until heated through). Don't unwrap until you're ready to plate — the banana leaf holds in the flavor.
- Where you see the Organic tag, ingredients are sourced organic. Most items contain pork, gluten or dairy in some form — check each product page for the full breakdown or just ask.
- Yes. We do custom gift boxes, branded apparel runs and special pantry orders for events. Reach out via the contact page and we'll quote it.
- Apparel and accessories can be returned unworn within 14 days. Pantry items and frozen food are non-refundable for food-safety reasons, but reach out if something arrives damaged and we'll make it right.
Custom Order
Build your own Nica feast.
Family dinner, office lunch, birthday surprise — tell us what you want, how many people you're feeding, and when. We'll come back with a quote, a prep time, and a kitchen-honest answer.
Personal touch
Chef Armando reviews every custom request.
Fast turnaround
Quote back within a few hours during service days.
Group pricing
Better rates on family-style and bulk orders.
Local delivery
Hudson Valley delivery for larger orders.