Blue Banana Market

06/12/2024

We have our first entry into our cutest pet contest! And he is a adorable fluffy baby 🐱☁️

05/18/2024

Come by Victoria Day and have a blast out of our Kensington market location!!!

05/12/2024

Happy Mother’s day from your favourite Market 💙🦋🩵

04/19/2024

Hop over to one of our two locations for 50% off all UK Easter goodies 🍫🐇🐇🐇

04/14/2024

03/29/2024

Check out our ASMR on Insta and TikTok 👂🔊

Watch, follow, and discover more trending content.

03/06/2024

🐇🐇Easter is coming and alot of our Jellycat bunnies are hoping away with happy customers but we still have lots of limited addition Jellycats to liven up your collection! 🐇🐇

02/14/2024

Galentine's joy to all! 🌸 Embrace friendships, cherish family ties, and shower love on your favorite gals! Because love comes in many forms, not just the romantic kind. Here's to celebrating the special people in our lives! 💖

02/08/2024

Welcome back to Blue Banana Markets, Black History Month Honourable mentions. 🖤🫶🏾✊🏾👏🏾

This week we are shining the light on Carmen + Michael from FIRECRACKER hot sauces 🌶️🔥 (pictured above are 3 of the 4 hot sauces we have available to purchase at any of our 2 locations)

FIRECRACKERS Story:

FIRECRACKER PEPPER SAUCE is a Toronto based husband-wife team, hand-making premium Trinidadian style hot  pepper sauces. 

Our ingredients are all natural and fresh - and our sauces are made without the use of preservatives. They’re made in small batches with care and attention to every detail. The sauces are ALL NATURAL, GLUTEN FREE,  VEGAN, and made in ONTARIO!

Our Story

Our story began when (we) Michael, and Carmen were planning our wedding.  Our wedding was a fusion of 2 cultures - Carmen’s Indo Trinidadian culture, and Mike’s Canadian heritage.  When it came to deciding what kind of  wedding favour to gift to our guests, we didn’t want anything that didn’t represent who we are.  We both love  spicy food and Trini style “pepper sauce.” With a  recipe from Carmen’s family, we made a batch for our guests and the sauce was a hit!  Realizing how hard it is to purchase authentic, Trini style pepper sauce made with fresh ingredients,  this birthed the idea of FIRECRACKER PEPPER SAUCE. We’ve won 6 awards including double awards for our mango madness sauce, 2nd place at YOW 2021 for our Nuclear Bacchanal sauce and 3rd at the prestigious FIERY FOODS awards 2021 for our Bazodee sauce! We were also a top 3 finalist at the 2022 Ontario Made Awards in the Manufacturing category, our biggest honour to date.

The name “FIRECRACKER” was perfect for our brand - it’s a combination of “Fire” and Mike’s nickname “Cracker” short for McCracken  (our last name).

We hope you enjoy our love for these  sauces as much as we do! We’re always happy to connect - if you have questions, comments, or feedback please get in touch
FALL IN LOVE WITH A TASTE OF TRINIDAD
Authentic. No gimmicks. No preservatives. Gluten free. Vegan. Fresh ingredients. trini style pepper sauce gourmet hot sauce Toronto

02/02/2024

In honour of Black History Month we would like to take this opportunity to showcase our local black vendors.🖤

Todays spotlight is Wicked Smart Hot Sauce

Below is their story:

“Born in Trinidad, Ifoma Smart immigrated to Canada at the age of four. As a child, pepper sauce was everywhere, and it was served in generous amounts with every dish. He spent countless hours watching his grandmother, mother, aunts and uncles compete amongst other family members for who had the hottest sauce. C’mon! Bragging rights were at stake!!

They visited West Indian markets and handpicked the freshest ingredients to replicate the flavours of the sauces from back home.

Ifoma took these valuable experiences and applied them to his own style of cooking to create hot sauces that deliver serious heat using the best available local produce.

The appeal of the sauces is that they are not ignorantly hot without flavour. They’re Wicked Smart Hot Sauces.”

Happy Black History Month!

Stay tuned for more Black History Month Features🖤

🖤

01/28/2024

Pet friendly and hello kitty obsessed! Can you blame us??

01/27/2024

"Turning another year older, but just like Taylor's version – always getting better! 🎉🎂

01/24/2024

People I want to meet: 1.dogs 🐕🐩 okay and maybe a unicorn 🦄

01/21/2024

For the kitties 💖

01/19/2024

Earrings so spooky, every day feels like spokey season. 👻✨

01/14/2024

"Chilly winter days got our pups in a serious yawning mood! Swing by Blue Banana to shake off that winter drowsiness. 🐶💤 "

01/10/2024

✨️New year, new vibrations!! ✨️

01/01/2024

Thank you to everyone for their support! We couldn't have done it without you all.🖤

12/30/2023

Get ahead of the game and buy your gifts for next year ahead of time! All Christmas decor, treats and cards 50 % off! This excludes Main & Local and light up snow globes.

12/27/2023

We present pur upside-down tree! Christmas may have passed by our cooky tree still shines!!

12/26/2023

We hope everyone had a safe and wonderful Christmas!! ❤️

12/16/2023

Kensington Market vibes just got an upgrade! 🌟✨ Now open 9am to 9pm because who says the adventure has to end early? 🛍️

12/15/2023

With all these holidays, we're unwrapping presents like Taylor Swift drops surprise albums—full of unexpected joy and a dash of sparkle! 🎁✨


Products available at both locations from all your Swifty needs

12/12/2023

Elevating holiday vibes at our sparkling new gift store! 🎁✨ Stilts, smiles, and seasonal finds – join the festive fun! Thank you and

12/11/2023

Kensington Market vibes just got an upgrade! 🌟✨ Now open till 8pm, because who says the adventure has to end early? 🛍️

12/07/2023

Spreading latke love and menorah magic this Hanukkah! 🕎✨ May your candles burn bright, and may your dreidel skills be sharper than ever. Wishing you eight nights of laughter, joy, and all the gelt you can handle!

12/07/2023

🕎✨ Wishing you a joyous first day of Hanukkah from our BLUE Banana family to yours! May the Festival of Lights illuminate your hearts with happiness.

12/06/2023

Holiday hours are here at pur Kensington Market location!

11/30/2023

Ever wondered how we landed on the name 'Purple Tongue Hot Sauce'? 🐾 Meet Sukocchi, our charismatic CEO with a purple tongue (thanks to his Chow Chow genes). Just like our sauce, he's a mix of spice and coolness - half Chow Chow, half Husky, and 100% the inspiration behind our flavorful journey. 🔥🌶️

11/22/2023

Brace yourselves, holiday cheer is coming... just like an unexpected visit from Belschnickel. 🎅📎✨ Have a Dunderfully Merry Christmas! 🎄