From the start … In May 2016, I traveled to southern Cambodia with my wife and kids to visit a friend in the riverside town of Kampot, tucked between the mountains and the Gulf of Thailand. I grew up in a small town (Provost AB), and Kampot instantly felt familiar — welcoming, relaxed, and just the right pace of life. My dream had always been to move to Southeast Asia… and now I had found my spot.

The next thing I fell in love with? Kampot Pepper. I’d heard of it before, but I had no idea pepper could taste this good — floral, complex, and full of character. When a friend asked me to bring some back to Canada, I realized it wasn’t widely available and had everything people look for in a spice: organic, fair trade, traceable, and incredibly flavorful.

I had never run a business before — after 30 years in IT, I was diving into the deep end: importing, exporting, finances, social media… and most of all, getting people to realize that all pepper is not the same.

I started small, selling at farmers markets with a big sign:

“Kampot Pepper – The World’s Best Pepper.”

No one walked up without testing me: “The world’s best, huh?” I handed out samples on cheese and crackers and let the pepper do the talking. If there’s one thing I’ve done well, it’s getting Canadians to try real Kampot Pepper — more people than I ever expected!

Selecting the Best Pepper, Straight from Kampot

Since moving to Kampot full-time in 2020, my Khmer wife and I have dedicated ourselves to building strong, personal relationships with the local farmers who grow this world-renowned pepper. Over the years, we’ve gotten to know each grower’s craft intimately — some specialize in the boldest black pepper, others in vibrant red or delicate white varieties.

This network allows us to select only the very best peppers from each farm, ensuring every batch we offer is hand-picked for flavor, aroma, and quality. By working directly with the farmers, we can time our purchases to coincide with the freshest harvests, bringing the crop straight from the fields to your kitchen.

It’s not just about selling pepper — it’s about celebrating the farmers’ skill, the terroir of Kampot, and the craftsmanship that goes into each tiny peppercorn. The result is a product that’s traceable, organic, fair-trade, and bursting with flavor, unlike anything you’ll find in a typical grocery store.

Every bag you receive is the culmination of these relationships, careful selection, and our commitment to freshness — so whether you’re sprinkling black, red, or white pepper on your favorite dish, you’re tasting the very best that Kampot has to offer.

A Life-Changing Journey

What started as a vacation became a business.
What started as curiosity became a calling.
What started as a taste test became a life.

It hasn’t always been easy — but it has always been worth it.

And it’s been incredible watching people taste it for the first time and have the exact same reaction I had back in 2016.

Because here’s the truth:  Not all pepper is the same.

None of this would have been possible without the support of friends — old and new — relatives, and my loyal customers who have stuck with me through the ups and downs of being the Pepper Guy.  A heartfelt THANK YOU to each and every one of you who have helped me along on this journey.