By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A Destrehan business owner has come up with a unique opportunity to raise money and awareness for the recovery and rehabilitation of fish and wildlife affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Richard Ruffino, 56, is marketing bottles of habanero and cayenne hot sauces to local vendors with a portion of the proceeds going to the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans, which has been providing long-term care for birds and marine life affected by the spill.

“The idea was something that came to me while watching the news about the spill,” Ruffino said. “You see those pictures of the animals soaked in oil, and it almost forces you to want to do something. You hear about BP and other organizations helping the people, but no one seemed to be stepping up to help the wildlife.”

Ruffino and his other partners brainstormed several ideas before coming up with the hot sauce. He said it was something inexpensive that most people in the area would buy anyway.

“We know that not everyone can send large monetary donations to help causes right now,” Ruffino said. “We figured something simple would give everyone the opportunity to contribute a couple dollars here and there. A few bucks spread out over time can really add up.”

Ruffino said the bottles, which have a blue label and insignia that reads “Help Save our Coast and Way of Life,” come in two styles and sizes. The 5 ounce habanero hot sauce sells for about $3, while a 3 ounce cayenne hot sauce sells for about $2.50. He said 10 percent of the proceeds for the sales are going to the Audubon Institute.

“It took us a while to get the process started, but we have been selling pretty steadily for about the past month,” Ruffino said. “Our first shipment of about 120 cases (each case contains 24 bottles) has already sold out.”

Ruffino said the sauces were produced by a company in St. Martinville and sold to his firm for distribution. He said the sauces are currently being sold in Destrehan at Cashio’s Food Villa, Big River Food and Fuel, Anthony’s Hardware and The Seafood Pot Restaurant. It is also selling in Luling at Thrift Village Drugs. Ruffino said he hopes to eventually expand the reach throughout the River Region.

“Our goal is to get it selling in as many retail outlets in the area that we can,” Ruffino said. “We also want to get it on all the restaurant’s menu to further branch out. The key is getting the business owners to buy into the cause. The marine and wildlife affected by the spill are strong elements of the culture of our community, and we need to do what we can to save it.”