Caribbean Hot Sauce Producers Warn of Shortages and Rising Prices

Caribbean hot sauce manufacturers are warning of shortages and rising prices as climate-related disruptions affect supplies of Scotch bonnet peppers, Gemma Handy reported for BBC News.

Sean Garbutt of Associated Manufacturers, which produces Walkerswood sauces and seasonings, said the company had been forced to cancel orders because of limited pepper availability. (Photo: Walkerswood Facebook)

The distinctive pepper, essential to many Caribbean sauces, has become harder to source because of extreme weather, crop disease, and pest infestations.

Manufacturers said hurricanes in Jamaica — one of the world’s major Scotch bonnet producers — severely damaged agricultural production and reduced supply.

Sean Garbutt of Associated Manufacturers, which produces Walkerswood sauces and seasonings, said the company had been forced to cancel orders because of limited pepper availability.

Many farmers have shifted to hardier crops such as sweet potatoes following repeated storm damage and changing economic conditions.