Local Business Highlight: Dori Spicy Chili Sauce

The story behind Dori Spicy Chili Sauce begins with how Midori, creator of the chili sauce, had always enjoyed cooking. After she had moved from Japan to Canada, she continued to cook all the different kinds of Japanese foods that she loved from back home. However, she began to notice that stores did not have very many Japanese ingredients, and they were also much more expensive than what can be found today. When living in Japan she had never needed to make her own seasonings and flavourings (called “chōmiryōo”/調味料 in Japanese), but faced with a new situation in Canada, she began making these seasonings herself for the first time. Her chili sauce was one of the first she began making. At first, Midori would make them only for her and her family, but when she gifted some of this homemade chili sauce to her Japanese friends who had just gotten married or had kids, they loved it and she was asked to consider selling it - and so she did!

When making her chili sauce, Midori values creating a consistent flavour that is also of high quality. At the same time, she values maintaining an affordable price for her clients. After the past year’s economic difficulties, the reality of inflation and the rising cost of goods have forced up the cost of the raw ingredients for Midori’s chili sauce, as well as the cost of gasoline for delivery and transportation. As is the nature of running a business, Midori knew that she would need to be making a profit in order to continue doing what she loved. On the other hand, she did not want to increase the cost of her products so quickly simply because the costs of production and transportation had gone up too. From the point of view of a housewife, Midori understands that $15 for a small bottle is not reasonable, so she puts her efforts into keeping her prices affordable and as close as possible to what it was before the pandemic. She believes three things are necessary: to keep costs as affordable as possible, to make work as efficient as possible, and to consistently work towards increasing sales.