Scotch bonnet shortage drives up hot sauce costs across Toronto
Caribbean staple hit by pests, disease, and hurricanes; prices have doubled in stores.
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Jamaican Scotch bonnet peppers—the fiery foundation of Caribbean hot sauces and jerk seasoning—are becoming scarce and expensive in Toronto, the result of crop devastation on the island.
The peppers are temperamental to grow. Pests called thrips, disease, and recent hurricanes including Beryl and Melissa have devastated farmers' yields. By December, prices in Jamaican markets surged as high as $5,000 JMD per pound—roughly $44 Canadian—sending shockwaves through the Caribbean food supply chain.
The scarcity is now hitting Toronto distributors and retailers hard. Andy Narine, owner of Tamisha Trading, a Caribbean produce distributor based in Scarborough, said jet fuel prices compound the problem. "Everything right now in Jamaica is expensive. Every single thing," he said.
Distributors find it cheaper to source Scotch bonnets from Trinidad and the Dominican Republic—an eight-pound box costs $30 to $40 versus $60 from Jamaica. Joannah Grant-Bailey, second-generation owner of Caribbean Corner grocery store in Toronto, said Scotch bonnet prices have doubled over the past few years, though her store has managed to keep them stocked thanks to her mother's longstanding Jamaican supplier relationships.
The scarcity is cascading. More restaurants and catering businesses are ordering Scotch bonnets in bulk from Caribbean Corner; one caller Thursday tried to reserve three cases. For hot sauce makers, the tightening supply is forcing production cuts and will likely drive up retail prices for the condiment itself.
It's a reminder that Toronto's Caribbean food culture lives on a fragile supply line tied to weather, pests, and fuel costs an ocean away.