New Pepper Source
I was introduced to a Cawston pepper grower a couple of months ago who assured me he was growing Ghost Peppers. Although these are not the hottest, they are one of the hottest peppers known to mankind. I have struggled the past two years in locating any volume of these and had considered growing some myself until I connected with this fellow in the Lower Similkameen. As luck would have it, we drive past his driveway each weekend on our way to the Oliver Indoor Flea Market so late in October we visited his farm. Not only did I get an incredible amount of beautiful Ghost Peppers, but I also picked up Scotch Bonnets and more. I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to have made this connection. I'll be making several products in the coming months with these peppers.
A Quick Look At The Numbers
Sales for JamBusters! dipped in October from September. Last month we sold 136 jars of product over 8 sales days. In October we had 9 sales days and went through 102 jars. Our best sales day for the month was October 31 with 26 jars sold. Our slowest day was October 4 with just 3 jars sold. Just like September, our Watkins numbers took a huge jump in October. Out of our vending days, we had four that saw Watkins sales beat JamBusters! sales and not just a little each time. Our Watkins numbers were significantly higher than JamBusters! One reason for that is we finally were able to replenish our supply of Medicated Ointment after a shortage that lasted several months. We will have to reorder more in November at this point. Also, we have become much more established in the Oliver area as Watkins reps and that has brought us new and repeat customers.
Update On George
George continues to improve. In October he set another personal best making a total of seven trips up and down an outdoor set of stairs in the downtown core he has chosen to use to help strengthen his heart. That equates to 1,722 stairs. He tries to get to this location twice a week and continues to lift light weights and go for walks that are in the 40 to 70-minute range on other days. He spoke to a urologist in Vancouver early in the month who seems to believe the tumour on George's kidney can be removed robotically. There are still many tests to complete to verify George's condition going into this operation later this year. Otherwise, he keeps blowing me away with his dedication to getting better which makes me think I may need to start doing something.
The Upcoming Season
Weather conditions are always a concern to us. At this time of year, we can encounter some rather unusual weather and that has an impact on our traveling. We had an early snow on October 23, 2020, with a mini-dump of 5-inches. It has since disappeared but has reminded us to consider that it is coming and that we need to be prepared for our early morning road trips. On Saturdays, I am on the road by 6:00 AM to be in Oliver before the market opens at 8:00 AM. Sundays the trip starts at 7:00 AM for a 9:00 AM opening. A normal trip takes us roughly 90-minutes one-way but we like to give ourselves a bit of extra time in case we encounter a problem of some kind. It all depends on whether the roads have been plowed and we can get to the highway.
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