Welcome to A Taste of St. Augustine, the site to order distinctly Floridian flavored sauces, dips, marinades, spices & marmalade. Our Company founder, the late Jerry Millen, was a botanist and devotee to St. Augustine and the promotion of the city’s success. He used Datil peppers and Seville oranges, grown locally, as a way to cultivate interest in its wonderful history and traditions. He grew the Datil peppers at his Bayberry Farm and collaborated with Candy Berg and Dale Borror in their commercial kitchen to develop some wonderful recipes for sauces and spices.

Datil peppers are from the Habanero pepper family, which most likely came from Cuba during the second Spanish occupation of Florida. They have been identified with the Minorcan culture in St. Augustine since the 1700’s. Jerry believed that the Minorcans named the pepper after the date palm due to its resemblance to the latter’s fruit. Any time you see the name “Minorcan,” you can bet it is loaded with Datil peppers! Over the years, natural hybridization has created its very distinct and wonderful flavor. We think it combines the sweetness of a red pepper with the heat of the Habanero pepper. By the way, “Datil” is pronounced like “battle!”

Since 2000, Jerry’s business has continued to grow and we are striving to carry on his legacy since we began Raynor Foods, Inc. in 2004. Our mission is to continue to foster awareness of our great ancient city through the creation of wonderful tasting products. Craig and I love to barbecue and over the past thirty-nine years, have worked on sweet and tangy sauces for family and friends.

We are celebrating seven years in business and are excited to plan for St. Augustine’s 450th anniversary! Over the years, we have been honored to be featured in an article of Garden and Gun magazine, Charleston, SC. Our two hot sauces, Snake Bite and Old St. Augustine Datil Pepper Sauce, were named to the “FIFTY BEST PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS OF THE NEW SOUTH.” Please see our home page to hear what they had to say! Craig and our company were highlighted in a Canadian film spot with several other businesses to promote St. Augustine to our Canadian neighbors as a vacation destination. We are also scheduled to be part of a PBS feature on “Destination Vacations” this Fall. Even if our spot does not make the final cut, we, the band, and our customers at the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market, Amphitheatre, St. Augustine Beach, had a lot of fun acting in it.

Thanks to all our direct and retail customers for their great support over the years. We really appreciate your feedback, recipes, and testimonials and orders! Please keep them coming!