Think of me as your African friend...

The one who always says,

“You have to try this!”

Hi, I'm Bola (Bolanle Bello Ariyo), the founder of Pepperdem.

And if you spend enough time around me, there is a very good chance I am going to feed you.

Food has always been one of the ways I share a little bit of where I come from. The smoky, spicy, savoury, complex flavours I grew up with were not something I wanted to enjoy only when I was back home or cooking a traditional African meal.

I wanted them on everything.

Try our Spices

So yes, there really were spices in my purse.

For years, I carried African spices around with me because I couldn't always find the flavours I wanted.

Going to a barbecue? Spice in my purse.

Travelling? Spice was coming with me.

Eating something that needed a little help? You already KNOW.

It became this funny little habit of mine, but something I couldn't stop thinking about was:

Why weren't the flavours I grew up with as easy to reach for as every other seasoning in the spice aisle?

Eventually, I stopped just asking the question.

Pepperdem became my answer.

  • Then I started putting it in people's hands.

    Pepperdem started small.

    I took it to farmers' markets, cooked, gave people samples, talked about the flavours and watched their faces when they tried them.

    Some people knew Suya immediately.

    Some had never tasted anything like it.

    But my favourite part was watching someone try Pepperdem for the first time, then come back.

    And eventually, I started hearing one question over and over:

    “WHERE CAN I BUY THIS IN PERSON?”

    That question has stayed with me.

    Because Pepperdem spice is not something should have to search far and wide to find.

  • Flavours of Africa. Made for every kitchen.

    Pepperdem is rooted in Africa, but I've never believed you need to be African or cook African food to love African flavour.

    Suya Spice on a steak? Absolutely.

    Cameroon Pepper in noodles? Do it.

    Jollof Spice on chicken? Please do.

    Fries, seafood, vegetables, eggs, popcorn? Pepperdem!

    That's the whole point.

    Pepperdem means "Pepper them" It is a call to spice things up!

    We are taking flavours with history, and culture and making them easy to reach everyday.

From Farm to table with a MISSION

  • As Pepperdem grows as we bring you good spice, we are determined to do it with intention.

    That means being thoughtful about where our ingredients come from, building meaningful relationships with the people behind them, and finding ways to give back along the way. Through partnerships with NGOs doing outreach in remote villages, we support initiatives that bring food, medical care and practical support to communities that need it.

    Find out more about our outreach projects 

  • What's inside the pack matters to me just as much as what's printed on the outside.

    We work with carefully selected ingredients and partners close to the flavours we're representing, while building a supply chain that lets us bring those flavours to kitchens across North America without losing what made them special in the first place.

We are just getting started.

My dream is actually pretty simple.

I want to walk into an everyday grocery store and see African flavours sitting proudly in the spice aisle. And I want someone to pick up a pack simply because it looks delicious and think, “Okay... I have to try this.”

Because that's how this whole thing started anyway. One person saying to another:

“You have to try this.” And now, I get to say it to you.

Welcome to Pepperdem.

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