Dat's My jam

Born and raised in Saint Augustine, Florida, Jeremy Cain started Solana's Pride, LLC, to sell Minorcan Datil Products in 2024. After almost twenty years in the food service industry, he decided it was time to follow his passion for creating authentic, Saint Augustine-Minorcan food products. Jeremy's grandparents, C.F. and Marion Solana, were his first inspirations for the love of true Minorcan cooking. As a direct descendant of the first permanent European settlers of this country, his roots run very deep! The Solana family name is the oldest documented name in the United States, found in the Library of Congress. At Solana's Pride, we are extremely proud of our heritage and dedicated to the education and preservation of our history! 

Saint Augustine, the Nation’s Oldest City, is home to the Datil pepper and the many Minorcan families who first cultivated it. Minorca is a tiny island off the coast of Spain, part of the Balearic Islands chain. Our Minorcan ancestors were first brought to Florida as indentured servants to work on a British indigo plantation in a place called New Smyrna. After nine years of deplorable conditions, a group of Minorcan families managed their escape from the plantation. They walked 70 miles north to Saint Augustine, pleaded with the British Governor for asylum, and were granted their refuge and freedom. 

The original source of the Datil pepper is long forgotten, but Saint Augustine folklore states that the Minorcans brought the Datil pepper with them from overseas. They are said to have grown them on the plantation to add flavor their meals. Datil pepper plants now originate and grow extremely well in Saint Augustine and the surrounding region of Florida. The Solana family has always taken pride in growing Datil pepper plants and keeping the Minorcan traditions alive. In fact, the Solana family cookbook is full of Datil pepper recipes handed down for generations, and everything is truly delicious!