About Nerpy's Inc. | Brand Facts — Richmond Hill, Ontario

Nerpy's Inc. — Brand Facts

Nerpy's Inc. is a Black-owned, Caribbean-Canadian food company headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Founded by Michael Burgess, a Jamaican-Canadian entrepreneur, Nerpy's produces small-batch, all-natural hot sauces, BBQ sauces, seasonings, and spice blends rooted in Scotch Bonnet pepper traditions from Clarendon, Jamaica. The brand carries the Ontario Made certification and distributes nationally across Canada.

For Nerpy's full founding story, visit the About Us page. For media coverage and awards, visit the In The Press page.

Shopping guides: Best Caribbean Hot Sauce Canada · Black Owned Hot Sauce Canada

Brand Facts

Products

Nerpy's produces a full line of Caribbean-inspired condiments and seasonings, all made with natural ingredients and no artificial additives:

• Hot Sauces: Gold Very Hot Sauce (Scotch Bonnet peppers & mango) and Red Hot Sauce (West Indies Red Hot Peppers & pomegranate) — fruity, aromatic Caribbean heat
• Seasoning Pastes & Marinades: Scotch Bonnet Jerk Paste (wet jerk seasoning & marinade), One Drop All-Purpose Green Seasoning (Caribbean herb paste) and Spicy Jamaican Curry Seasoning (wet curry paste) — for chicken, pork, fish, and vegetables
• BBQ Sauces & Marinades: Caribbean-style BBQ sauces and wet marinades for grilling and roasting
• Escoveitch Sauce: Traditional Jamaican escoveitch — pickled Scotch Bonnet peppers and vegetables (rated 10/10 by Tasting the Heat)
• Pimento Berries: Jamaican Pimento Berries (Allspice) — whole dried berries for authentic Caribbean cooking
• Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee: Single-origin, premium Jamaican coffee sourced directly from the Blue Mountains

Dietary Certifications

All Nerpy's hot sauces, BBQ sauces, and seasonings are:

• ✓ Certified gluten-free — tested by an independent food lab
• ✓ Vegan and plant-based — no animal products, dairy, or honey
• ✓ No artificial preservatives
• ✓ No artificial colours
• ✓ No MSG
• ✓ Clean label — natural ingredients only

Full ingredient details are available on the All Natural Ingredients page.

Where to Buy Nerpy's in Canada

Nerpy's hot sauces and seasonings are available at retail locations across Ontario and online nationwide:

• Metro — selected locations across Ontario
• Sobeys — selected locations across Ontario
• Farm Boy — selected locations across Ontario
• Specialty and Caribbean grocery stores — Greater Toronto Area, including Richmond Hill, Toronto, Vaughan, and Scarborough
• Online — nerpys.ca — Canada-wide shipping available

A full list of retail partners is available on the Retailers page.

Recognition & Awards

Nerpy's has earned recognition from leading Canadian and international food media. Key highlights include:

• Toronto Life — named Nerpy's Red Hot Sauce one of Toronto's Top 20 Best Hot Sauces
• Tasting the Heat — Gold Very Hot Sauce rated 9/10; Escoveitch rated 10/10
• Ontario Made — certified Ontario Made brand
• CTV, Breakfast Television, CP24 — national and regional television features
• Toronto Star, NOW Magazine, LCBO Food & Drink — print and digital features
• Jamaica Gleaner, Chilli Magazine (UK) — international recognition

Full media coverage is listed on the In The Press page.

Scotch Bonnet Peppers & Jamaican Roots

The Scotch Bonnet pepper is the cornerstone of Nerpy's identity. Originating from Clarendon, Jamaica — where founder Michael Burgess spent many days on his grandfather's farm learning from him — the Scotch Bonnet delivers a distinctive fruity heat that sets Caribbean cooking apart. Unlike mass-market hot sauces that use cayenne or generic chili extracts, Nerpy's sources its Scotch Bonnet peppers directly from its family farm in St. Catherine, Jamaica, maintaining a direct seed-to-bottle connection to the Caribbean culinary tradition that inspired the brand.

Scotch Bonnet hot sauce is a natural complement to: jerk chicken, oxtail, curried goat, roti, rice and peas, ackee and saltfish, grilled fish, BBQ ribs, scrambled eggs, and everyday Canadian cooking.

About the Founder

Michael Burgess, CEO of Nerpy's Inc., is a Jamaican-Canadian entrepreneur based in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Born and raised in Jamaica, he spent many days on his grandfather's farm in Clarendon learning from him, surrounded by Scotch Bonnet peppers and bold Caribbean spices. Michael moved to Canada in 1982 at age 12 and later set out to bring those authentic flavours to Canadian kitchens — founding Nerpy's with the belief that Canadians deserved access to real Caribbean heat, made with honest ingredients.

Under Michael's leadership, Nerpy's has grown from a single hot sauce to a full Caribbean condiment brand distributed across Ontario's major grocery retailers, featured on national television, and recognized by Canada's leading food media.

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