Skippy peanut butter — both the crunchy and smooth version — is no longer available in Canada. Skippy lovers who got the news in time have been stockpiling jars. Skippy’s owner, U.S.-based Hormel Foods, discontinued the brand in Canada several months ago, and then it slowly disappeared from store shelves. Hormel says it stopped selling Skippy in Canada due to factors like competition and pricing that hurt the brand’s profitability.
Skippy lovers who've already figured it out have been stockpiling jars.
"I'm really mad at Skippy," says Jim Hazzard in Alliston, Ont. He recently snagged a store's last two jars and is trying to savour every bite. "I'm very careful how much I use," he said.
Canadian fans feeling singled out may have every right. The product is still available in more than 60 countries including the U.S., China and the U.K.
Skippy peanut butter first came on the market in 1933. It has been a staple in many Canadian households, including the May family's home in Bowmanville, Ont.
Larry and Lori May have stuck to Skippy throughout their 26-year marriage.
"It's been our favourite peanut butter of choice," said Larry May. "The kids were raised on it."
A desperate Lori May asked a friend working at a grocery store to investigate. "I said, 'Put your feelers out there. For some reason, Skippy's nowhere to be found, and I really need it.'"
The friend delivered the bad news that the product had been discontinued.
Larry May's brother, who lives with the couple, brought home a jar of Kraft peanut butter, but that just didn't cut it.
"It's going to take him a while to go through that, because we won't eat it," Larry May said. "It's just not as creamy, doesn't spread right."
The determined couple put out the word on social media and to friends that they were on a hunt for Skippy.
An employee at Lori May's auto parts store came to the rescue, scoring her boss eight jars of Skippy smooth peanut butter at a clearance sale at a Shoppers Drug Mart in Oshawa, Ont.
Larry May asked the official Skippy Facebook site if he could order the product online. It referred him to Amazon's Canadian website.
Amazon's high prices turned him off. Current prices per jar range from about $10 to $30 for regular peanut butter to almost $100 for the "reduced fat" version. Shipping can cost extra.
When his supply is depleted, Hazzard figures it's game over for him because he finds the U.S. brand too sweet.
According to Hormel's Skippy website, the now defunct Canadian smooth and crunchy versions actually contained 1-3 fewer grams of sugar per serving compared to their U.S. counterparts.
"It just changes the whole flavor if you sweeten it up," said Hazzard.
Can you believe that Amazon is charging upwards of $10 for one jar??