About us

Point Grey Peppers was born in the 1970s-80s when Jason (now CEO) grew up in rural Texas. His closest friends were many miles away and so he spent a lot of time outside enjoying the outdoor foods that nature provided: pecans from the pecan trees, persimmons (ok he didn't like those so much at the time because they fell on the ground when ripe and splattered everywhere and rotted), and grapes on the vines at church next door. Ten years later his mother-in-law bought him a tomato plant and this burst open his desire for home grown foods. Every place he has lived since that time has been maximized for food production with the pinnacle being his current home in Point Grey. Yes, it is possible to grow all of your own vegetables in a plot of land in the city!

But where do peppers fit into the mix? As a postdoc, Jason lived in Washington DC where he grew bell peppers on his patio. Upon moving to Vancouver his efforts to grow peppers dwindled given the milder summers, which led to crops that only began to ripen as the cold rainy season arrived. Plus, bell peppers, I mean, whatever.

Ca. 2021 a cold frame was built and Carolina Reaper pepper seeds were purchased. Who could argue with trying to grow these things? And lo and behold, the first ripe fruits appeared in September. Gorgeous, deadly, and best of all, an amazing aroma and flavour. Like nothing you could ever dream of finding in a grocery store. And so production increased exponentially until plateauing at around 100 plants, producing the full spectrum of shapes, sizes and flavours.

When you find something you love you want to share it with others. And, when your garden uses up every inch of space available to you, you end up meeting your neighbours and making a lot of meaningful connections. Maybe you've already received some peppers or vegetables from the garden? Maybe you've returned the favour and made a chutney for me with the peppers I gave you? Maybe you were a student in my class who gave me the delicious bell peppers from your mother's garden, which I now grow in my garden and use as the base for Sasamat Sweet?

Where will this go? What can we accomplish here?

Original watercolour artwork by Bella Yang.

--Jason