The Great Peanut Butter Hunt: Finding Reese's "Liquid Gold" in Puerto Morelos
If you’ve been following our journey for a while, you know that grocery shopping in a new country is one of our favorite "mundane" adventures. There is something deeply satisfying about navigating the aisles of a foreign supermarket, deciphering labels, and stumbling upon unexpected treasures. But today’s find at the Chedraui here in Puerto Morelos wasn't just unexpected—it was a full-blown nostalgia trip wrapped in an orange label.
We were wandering through the aisles, enjoying the blast of air conditioning (a necessary survival tactic in the Mexican heat!), when something caught our eye on the top shelf. It wasn’t the usual suspects like Nutella or the standard peanut butter brands we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. It was the Holy Grail for peanut butter lovers: Creamy Reese’s Peanut Butter.
Now, for our friends back in Canada, you know the struggle. Finding the actual peanut butter—not the chocolate spread mix, but the pure, unadulterated peanut butter that tastes exactly like the inside of a Reese’s Cup—is surprisingly difficult. You usually have to hunt it down in specialty candy shops or import stores. Yet, here we were in the Riviera Maya, and there it was, sitting casually between the jams and jellies as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
We were wandering through the aisles, enjoying the blast of air conditioning (a necessary survival tactic in the Mexican heat!), when something caught our eye on the top shelf. It wasn’t the usual suspects like Nutella or the standard peanut butter brands we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. It was the Holy Grail for peanut butter lovers: Creamy Reese’s Peanut Butter.
Now, for our friends back in Canada, you know the struggle. Finding the actual peanut butter—not the chocolate spread mix, but the pure, unadulterated peanut butter that tastes exactly like the inside of a Reese’s Cup—is surprisingly difficult. You usually have to hunt it down in specialty candy shops or import stores. Yet, here we were in the Riviera Maya, and there it was, sitting casually between the jams and jellies as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Of course, every expat or long-term traveler knows the drill: you spot a comfort food, your heart skips a beat, and then you look at the price tag. We pulled the jar down to check the damage. The shelf tag read $129.00 MXN.
We did the quick mental math (which is getting faster every day!). At the current exchange rate, that’s roughly $7.50 USD or $10.50 CAD for an 18 oz jar. It definitely falls into the "splurge" category. In Canada or the US, paying ten dollars for a jar of peanut butter might seem excessive, but when you are thousands of miles from home, the value proposition changes entirely. Sometimes, you just can't put a price on a spoonful of comfort.
One detail that made us smile was the official Mexican "Secretaría de Salud" warning labels plastered on the lid. seeing those familiar black octagons warning of "Exceso Calorías" (Excess Calories) and "Exceso Grasas Saturadas" (Excess Saturated Fats) somehow made it feel even more official. It’s the real deal, legally imported for the Mexican market, and not just some gray-market suitcase smuggle.
We did the quick mental math (which is getting faster every day!). At the current exchange rate, that’s roughly $7.50 USD or $10.50 CAD for an 18 oz jar. It definitely falls into the "splurge" category. In Canada or the US, paying ten dollars for a jar of peanut butter might seem excessive, but when you are thousands of miles from home, the value proposition changes entirely. Sometimes, you just can't put a price on a spoonful of comfort.
One detail that made us smile was the official Mexican "Secretaría de Salud" warning labels plastered on the lid. seeing those familiar black octagons warning of "Exceso Calorías" (Excess Calories) and "Exceso Grasas Saturadas" (Excess Saturated Fats) somehow made it feel even more official. It’s the real deal, legally imported for the Mexican market, and not just some gray-market suitcase smuggle.
We stood there for a good five minutes debating it. On one hand, there are plenty of affordable, delicious local options. On the other hand... it's Reese's. And it’s right here. The convenience of grabbing this off a standard grocery shelf in Puerto Morelos, compared to the specialty scavenger hunt required back north, is a luxury in itself.
In the end, we’ll let you guess whether it made it into our cart. It’s these little moments—finding a piece of home in the most unlikely place—that make the travel experience so rich.
In the end, we’ll let you guess whether it made it into our cart. It’s these little moments—finding a piece of home in the most unlikely place—that make the travel experience so rich.
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