Written by Old St. Augustin Gourmet Foods Story Owner Parker Stewart

How it Started

My family and I live in St. Augustine, FL, the "Nation's Oldest City," and for years we had been buying a particular Datil Pepper hot sauce called Snake Bite. It was our absolute favorite hot sauce. We were saddened one day to hear that the couple who made the sauce was about to retire. We couldn't just let our favorite spicy condiment disappear from the Earth like that! So, we contacted the previous owners and made them an offer they couldn't refuse. They taught us everything about making the sauce to make sure the quality was always top-notch. 

Our Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce is our #1 selling product to this date. We sell all over St. Augustine and also all over the country through our website. We have had customers from just about every single state order from us. We also make a Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce, Fountain of Youth Datil Marinade, and Datil Zest spice blend, all of which have the distinctive taste of the rare Datil Peppers from St. Augustine.

The Mysterious Datil Pepper

The most interesting thing about the Datil Pepper in particular is how rare and mysterious it is. I have done quite the research on this particular pepper, and there is no conclusive evidence as to where it actually originated. It thrives in St. Augustine, but it doesn't grow anywhere else. It is a very finicky plant, but the when grown in the right environment, the taste profile is the most unique of all the pepper varieties. It has a slightly fruity onset with a latent heat that pairs so well with a multitude of dishes (including chocolate!).