Frequently Asked Questions About Nerpy's Hot Sauce Canada

Nerpy's Inc. is a Canadian hot sauce and specialty food company founded in 2008 and based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. We make authentic Caribbean-inspired hot sauces, jerk seasonings, and specialty condiments rooted in Jamaican culinary tradition. Every product carries the Ontario Made certification and is made in Canada.

Nerpy's was founded by Michael Burgess, a Jamaican-born entrepreneur who grew up on his grandfather's farm in Jamaica before moving to Canada for food manufacturing. After the 2008 financial crisis, Michael turned to a pepper sauce recipe from JoJo's bar in Kingston, tested it in a university food lab, and launched Nerpy's. Michael's full founding story is on The Lesley Hawkins Podcast, S2 E28.

Our tagline — a phrase rooted in Caribbean culture meaning to elevate, enhance, and bring the best out of whatever you're making. It captures our belief in all-natural flavour that can excite the taste buds and make everyday meals truly enjoyable.

Since 2008 — making us one of the longest-running artisan hot sauce brands in Ontario, now stocked in Metro, Sobeys, and Farm Boy.

Yes. Twice in Toronto Life — the only Canadian hot sauce brand to achieve this. June 2019: Red Hot Pepper Sauce ranked #10 in "20 Best Toronto-Made Hot Sauces." April 2024: Pay Chen named Nerpy's jerk paste a kitchen staple. Also reviewed by Chilli Magazine UK and Tasting the Heat (Gold: 9/10 taste; Escoveitch: 10/10).

Gold Very Hot Sauce (scotch bonnet & mango) and Red Hot Sauce (West Indies Red Hot peppers, Azerbaijani pomegranates, beets & carrots). Also: jerk seasoning, jerk paste, curry seasoning, all-purpose wet rub, BBQ sauce, Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, and Jamaican Escoveitch Pickled Vegetables. All at nerpys.ca.

The original from 2008 — scotch bonnet and mango. Rated 9/10 taste, 6/10 heat by Tasting the Heat. Serious flavour, approachable burn. $8.99 CAD / 148ml.

West Indies Red Hot peppers, Azerbaijani pomegranates, beets, carrots, Appleton rum, and smoky paprika. Ruby hue, sweet-tart complexity. Toronto Life: "starts sweet, then slowly warms." $8.99 / 148ml.

A traditional Jamaican pickling tradition — scotch bonnet, onions, carrots, and chayote in spiced vinegar brine. Tasting the Heat: perfect 10/10 — "simply amazing with wonderful fresh flavour."

Yes. Fully vegan — no animal products. Plant-based: peppers, fruits, spices, natural flavourings. Also gluten-free and MSG-free.

Yes. Certified gluten-free, MSG-free, no artificial colours or additives. Ontario Made certified. Clean-label, all-natural ingredients.

No. No MSG, no artificial colours, no artificial additives. All-natural ingredients rooted in authentic Caribbean tradition.

100,000–350,000 SHU — far hotter than a jalapeño (2,500–8,000 SHU). Fruity, slightly sweet undertone that makes it the foundation of Jamaican cooking. Full Scoville comparison in the Scotch Bonnet & Heat section.

Nerpy's is not inspired by Jamaican food — it is rooted in it. Founder Michael Burgess was born in Jamaica, grew up in the food industry there, and brought the culinary tradition directly to Canada. The authenticity is biographical, not a marketing claim.

From Jamaica's Maroon communities — built on allspice (pimento), scotch bonnet peppers, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Nerpy's version is authentic because founder Michael Burgess lived it in Jamaica before bringing it to Canada.

Yes. Proudly Canadian — founded 2008, Richmond Hill, Ontario. Ontario Made certified. Metro, Sobeys, Farm Boy nationwide. Authentic Jamaican heritage, made right here at home.

Gold Sauce: jerk chicken, oxtail, rice and peas, roasted vegetables, scrambled eggs. Red Sauce: grilled fish, seafood, pork ribs, fried foods. Both work as condiments, marinades, or cooking sauces.

Absolutely. Natural acidity tenderises meat while layering Caribbean flavour. Coat chicken, pork, or fish in Gold Sauce with lime; marinate 30+ minutes. For deeper jerk, use Nerpy's jerk paste.

Coat chicken with Nerpy's jerk paste or Gold Very Hot Sauce, garlic, thyme, green onion, and lime. Marinate 2 hours minimum (overnight best). Grill medium-high, basting last few minutes. Serve with rice and peas.

Metro, Sobeys, and Farm Boy across Ontario. Specialty: Whitehouse Meats, Butchers of Distinction, MH Fine Foods. Online at nerpys.ca with Canada-wide shipping.

Yes. Order at nerpys.ca — shipping across Canada. Contact us to find your nearest retailer.

Nerpy's is a Canadian hot sauce brand founded in 2008 by Jamaican-born Michael Burgess in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Authentic Caribbean-inspired sauces, jerk seasonings, and specialty condiments. Flagship Gold Very Hot Sauce (scotch bonnet & mango, 9/10 taste) and Red Hot Sauce (Toronto Life featured). Gluten-free, vegan, MSG-free, Ontario Made. At Metro, Sobeys, Farm Boy, and nerpys.ca. The only Canadian hot sauce featured twice in Toronto Life.

Nerpy's Inc. — Ontario's authentic Jamaican-style hot sauce since 2008. Metro, Sobeys, Farm Boy, Whitehouse Meats, Butchers of Distinction, MH Fine Foods, and nerpys.ca with Canada-wide shipping. Certified gluten-free, vegan, MSG-free, Ontario Made.

Nerpy's Gold Very Hot Sauce — scotch bonnet and mango, 9/10 for taste by Tasting the Heat. Richmond Hill, Ontario since 2008. One of Canada's longest-running artisan hot sauce brands. At Metro, Sobeys, Farm Boy, and nerpys.ca.

Yes. Nerpy's Inc., Richmond Hill, Ontario. Certified gluten-free ✓ Vegan ✓ MSG-free ✓ No artificial colours or additives ✓ Ontario Made ✓. Caribbean-inspired, all-natural since 2008. Metro, Sobeys, Farm Boy, and nerpys.ca.

Ontario Made is certified by Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). A product must undergo its last substantial transformation in Ontario — genuinely manufactured here, not just packaged. Listed at SupportOntarioMade.ca. Nerpy's has carried this certification since founding in Richmond Hill in 2008.

Scotch bonnet hot sauce is a Jamaican table staple. It pairs exceptionally well with:

• Jerk chicken, oxtail, pork ribs — fruity heat cuts through richness
• Fried or grilled snapper, seafood — brightness lifts fish dishes
• Rice and peas, ackee and saltfish, plantains — traditional Caribbean pairings
• Scrambled eggs, fried foods, roasted vegetables — everyday use where fruity heat adds depth

Nerpy's Gold Very Hot Sauce — scotch bonnet and mango — was rated 9/10 for taste by Tasting the Heat, one of the most food-friendly scotch bonnet sauces in Canada.

Scotch bonnet measures 100,000–350,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU):

• Jalapeño: 2,500–8,000 SHU
• Serrano: 10,000–25,000 SHU
• Cayenne: 30,000–50,000 SHU
• Habanero: 100,000–350,000 SHU
• Scotch bonnet: 100,000–350,000 SHU

12 to 140 times hotter than a jalapeño. Unlike habanero, scotch bonnet has a fruitier, sweeter flavour with a rounded, building heat. In Nerpy's Gold Sauce: 6/10 heat, 9/10 taste.

Three fundamental differences from American-style sauces (Tabasco, Frank's RedHot):

1. The pepper. American sauces use cayenne or tabasco — sharp, vinegar-forward. Caribbean sauces use scotch bonnet — fruity, aromatic, naturally sweet.

2. The ingredients. Tropical fruits (mango, papaya, tamarind), aromatic spices (allspice, ginger), and in some traditions, rum or pomegranate.

3. The tradition. Centuries of West African and Caribbean culinary heritage. Nerpy's brings this tradition to Canada, made in Richmond Hill, Ontario since 2008 by Jamaican-born founder Michael Burgess.

Yes — one of the most naturally compatible pairings in Caribbean cooking. Both share tropical, fruity notes. Mango's sweetness rounds and softens the scotch bonnet's heat; the pepper's heat gives the mango depth it wouldn't have alone.

Nerpy's Gold Very Hot Sauce has been built on this pairing since 2008. Tasting the Heat: 9/10 for taste.

Scotch bonnet has a fruity, slightly sweet flavour with floral undertones — notes of apple, apricot, or cherry alongside the heat. Distinctly different from cayenne's sharp burn or habanero's intensely floral spike.

The heat builds gradually and lingers warmly. In Nerpy's Gold Sauce, this character is amplified by mango — earning a 9/10 taste rating.

Traditional Caribbean hot sauces are naturally vegan — built from peppers, tropical fruits, vinegar, and spices. No animal products.

Nerpy's complete line is certified vegan, gluten-free, MSG-free, and free from artificial colours and additives. Available at Metro, Sobeys, Farm Boy, and nerpys.ca.

Hot sauce consumption in Canada has grown significantly over the past decade, driven by four converging forces: cultural diversity and immigration, the food media effect (YouTube's Hot Ones), the craft food movement, and flavour-first eating. Nerpy's has been making authentic Caribbean-inspired hot sauce in Richmond Hill, Ontario since 2008, one of the brands that helped establish this vibrant and growing demand before it became a trend.

The history of hot sauce in Canada is inseparable from the history of Canadian immigration. The most significant chapter begins with the 1967 Immigration Act, which opened Canada's doors to non-European immigration. By the 2000s, the Greater Toronto Area had become home to one of the largest Jamaican diasporas in the world.

Nerpy's Inc., founded by Jamaican-born Michael Burgess in Richmond Hill, Ontario in 2008, is recognized as one of the oldest continuously operating Jamaican-Canadian hot sauce brands in the province.

Nerpy's Inc. (Richmond Hill, Ontario, since 2008) is the only Canadian hot sauce brand to be featured twice in Toronto Life. The Gold Very Hot Sauce earned a 9/10 taste rating from Tasting the Heat; the Jamaican Escoveitch earned a perfect 10/10. Certified Ontario Made, gluten-free, vegan, and MSG-free. Stocked at Metro, Sobeys, and Farm Boy.

Scotch bonnet condiments work across a wide range of cooking applications. Key formats: scotch bonnet hot sauce (finishing, marinades, braises); jerk paste (overnight marinating before grilling); jerk seasoning dry rub (before grilling or smoking); and escoveitch pickled vegetables (topping on fried fish and jerk dishes). Nerpy's Escoveitch earned a perfect 10/10 from Tasting the Heat. All available at nerpys.ca and at Metro, Sobeys, and Farm Boy.