CARIBBEAN SPECIAL SECTION · 9,000 visitors, including business profes-sionals and the general...

30 food and drink • summer 2012 • www.fooddrink-magazine.com

>> Caribfood will be an expansion of the successful Barbados Bakery & Pastry Expo, held last year at the same venue.

CAR IBBEAN SPEC IAL SECT ION

food and drink • summer 2012 • www.fooddrink-magazine.com 31

AThe expo is an expansion of the

Barbados Bakery & Pastry Expo (seenin the photos at left), which was held lastOctober at the same convention center.A testament to its success is that everysingle one of last year’s vendors will beat Caribfood 2012.Dan Brinckmann, organizer of Carib-

food 2012, explains how after last year’ssuccess, show organizers realized theyhad to give a platform to every aspect ofthe food and beverage industry. “We aretrying to cover the industry from ingredi-ents to restaurant services, bakeries,packaging, uniforms – everything,”Brinckmann says. “[This will] provide a360-degree view of the industry.”With his more than 15 years of expe-

rience in the hospitality industry, Brinck -mann believes that food and beverageexpositions are a great way to encouragegrowth in the industry. “Food exposwere the highlight of the culinary yearfor me when I lived in Germany, theMiddle East and Denmark,” Brinckmannexplains. “You would go and find newingredients, inspiration for new ideasand learn about different trends. Thatwas the main idea behind doing this.”To give the expo full international

reach, Caribfood will bring togetherproducts and chefs from around theworld, including France, the UnitedKingdom, the United States and region-al nations such as Guyana and Trinidad.“We are going to have food demonstra-tions, beverage demonstrations, foodcompetitions between restaurants,”Brinckmann says. “It will be a greatevent to learn about food and enjoy it.”

A “360-degree view” of Caribbean food and drink will be ondisplay when the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in Barbadoshosts the 2012 Caribbean Food & Beverage Expo (Caribfood)Oct. 5 through 7. This first-of-its-kind event will highlight theindustry in Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean islands.

The Caribbean Food & Bever ageExpo will include 110 vendors – a bigincrease from the 35 at the 2011 prede-cessor show – focused on baking andpastries. The expo is expected to attract9,000 visitors, including business profes-sionals and the general public.The expo dedicates one day exclu-

sively to business-related visitors, andthe next two will be open to the gener-al public. Those lucky people will beable to see the new trends in foodpreparation, taste new recipes, see thechefs in action and sample a variety ofbeverages native to the Caribbean,such as rum and coffee, and also someimported spirits and wine. Brinckmann sees tremendous poten-

tial for the food and beverage industryin the Caribbean region, and he hopesCaribfood will provide a platform forthe industry to grow. For more infor-mation, visit www.bbpexpo.com.The companies featured on the next

several pages are not necessarily ex -hibiting at Caribfood, but represent across-section of what is happening ac -ross this region. We hope these profileswhet your appetite to learn more.

Caribbean FoodTakes the Stage‘Great event’ to highlight the best of Caribbean food and beverages.By Marta Jimenez-Lutter


> 32 A.S. Bryden & Sons (Trinidad) Ltd. > 38 Heineken > 42 Carib Brewery > 46 Allied Caterers > 48 Bellows Intl. > 50 Diana Candy > 52 Payco Foods Corp. > 54 St. Lucia Distillers Group of Cos. > 56 TraFon Group > 58 Wisynco 32 38


here are some companiesthat choose to operate in asingle industry, but A.S.Bry den & Sons (Trin -idad) Ltd. has flourished

by op erating in a diverse range ofindustries, Managing Director DavidFranco says. The distributor, popularlyreferred to as Brydens, is based in SanJuan, Trinidad. Founder Arthur Sidney Bryden start-

ed the company in Barbados in 1898.Twenty-five years later, Bryden’s son,William Francis Bryden, opened thefirm’s Trinidad office, which hasbecome one of the most successfulbusinesses of its kind in the country. The company’s Spirits & Wines divi-

sion is by far the leading importer ofthese products in the market and hassecured partnerships with world lead-ers in the industry including Diageo,Moet Hennessy and Red Bull, just toname a few. Its portfolio, which is theenvy of its competitors, includes suchpower brands as Johnnie Walker BlackLabel, Baileys, Smirnoff, Moet &Chandon, Hennessy, Concha y Toro,Robert Mondavi, Red Bull EnergyDrink, Perrier and many more.The Food & Grocery Division has

seen explosive growth over the last

company profile

>> Brydens started distributing in Trinidad in the early 20th century, and today it is one of the most successful companies of its kind.

Freedom to FlyA.S. Bryden & Sons says it provides an environment where its senior workerscan operate autonomously and feel like family. By Alan Dorich


A.S. Bryden & Sons(Trinidad) Ltd.www.brydenstt.comHQ: San Juan, Trinidad and TobagoEmployees: 418Specialty: Distribution of foodand grocery products, spirits andwines, and hardware and house-wares productsDavid Franco, managing director:“It’s a company where we treat peo-ple like they’re family.”

TPhoto Credit:Peter Lim Choy

decade and represents the likes of globalgiant Kraft Foods. Recently, Kraft Foodsacquired Cadbury Adams, and fortunate-ly for the company, it chose Brydens as itspreferred partner when it decided to con-solidate its business in Trinidad. Otherglobal suppliers include the DanoneGroup, Reynolds and Colcafe. Some of its famous brands include

Oreo, Trident, Jell-O, Dannon andMaxwell House. The division is also espe-cially proud of its private label brand Eve,which has an extensive portfolio, includ-

ing pasta, soya oil, canned vegetables andmeats, tea and milk. The company says ithas plans to develop this range further inthe future.The Hardware & Housewares division

at Brydens has recently undergone atransformation, and with an upweightedManagement structure, it is now poisedfor growth. Some of its globally recog-nized hardware suppliers include CobraWatertech, Stanley Black & DeckerGroup, Apex and Truper. Brydens’ House -wares suppliers include leading compa-


CARIBBEAN SPECIAL SECTION

SERVING AS A SPRINGBOARDBrydens offers its customers support services including downmarket distribution,which it says has been pivotal to its growth in recent years. “Tapping into a largerpercentage of Trinidad’s universe of customers, our van distribution network sellsfood products and beverages directly to parlors, mom and pop shops, mini-marts and convenience stores,” the company says.Seeing the potential of this segment, Brydens says it adopted a strategy to

ramp up its number of vehicles and the area it covers. “Increased availability andvisibility of our products serves a springboard for our brands and demand contin-ues to grow in spite of economic challenges,” the company says.The only challenge of growth, it notes, was its understanding of it. “The

absence of information on the customers and their buying patterns was an indi-cator of the hidden potential here and the efficiencies that were not beingtapped,” it says. “The introduction of a mobile sales system in September 2008brought information to the forefront and allowed for informed decision making.”Currently, the system offers customers a wireless sales service with GPS capabil-

ities. “The combined strategies of increased vehicles and sales automation haveyielded significant results,” it says.

>> Brydens brings an extensive list of world-leading brands to its customers throughout Trinidad, and the company says italso provides its retail customers with additional support services to help grow their businesses.

Photo Credit:Peter Lim Choy

nies such as Newell Rubbermaid andSunbeam International. The line-up of brands which enjoy

world wide recognition include Cobra,Black & Decker, De Walt, Kwikset,Stanley, Truper, Bemis and Nicholsonand Rubbermaid, Sunbeam, Lasko,Oster and Brita on the housewares side,to name a few.Over the years, Brydens has devel-

oped its distribution penetration andnow services multiple channels, includ-ing hotels, cafes, restaurants, super-markets, and hard ware and plumbingstores. “We even sell to pharmaciesand small mom-and-pop shops,”Franco says.Brydens provided the fuel for growth

for the establishment of what is now asmall conglomerate. The parent com-pany, AS Bryden & Sons Holdings Ltd.,now also owns two other subsidiariesin addition to Brydens, namely FTFarfan Ltd. and Bryden Pi Ltd.FT Farfan Ltd. is a leading industrial

supply company catering to key sectorsin the oil and gas, construction, indus-trial and agricultural sectors. In addi-tion to sales and rentals, the companycurrently operates retail outlets in SanJuan, Arima, San Fernando, Galeotaand in the sister island of Tobago. Brydens represents some of the

world’s most powerful companies in thefield including Stihl, JCB, ShellLubricants, Cummins and LincolnElectric. The service departments atFT Farfan employs over 70 people andits technicians are all certified by its re -spective suppliers.The other group subsidiary, Bryden

Pi Ltd., imports and distributes phar-maceuticals, hospital supplies, and per-sonal care and consumer products. ItsHealth care suppliers include suchglobal leaders as GlaxoSmithKline,Janssen Cilag, Roche Sanofi, Baxter,Kodak and Covidien. In the personalcare and consumer arena, it representsKimberlyClark, Mead Johnson, Lascoand Loreal. The company recentlyacquired its own brand, PROTOX, aregional leader in insecticides.

A Top TeamFranco praises Brydens staff, which hasshown it can work together as a team ina time of crisis. In August 2005, heexplains, the company lost its ware-house in a fire. Despite the harsh condi-tions, “The staff really kept this placetogether,” he recalls.As the company waited for new facil-

ities to be built, it secured its productsin temporary storage sheds on its com-pound. In addition, the firm utilized awarehouse located near the PiarcoInternational Airport.“The Trinidad and Tobago Customs

and Excise Division was extremely sup-portive during our time of need,” Francorecalls, adding that it took two years todemolish the wreckage of the old ware-house and build a new one from thefloor up.Although the conditions made its

staff weary, each member held ittogether and remained focused on theirjobs, Franco asserts. “It was reallyimpressive,” he states. “It will stay withme forever.”He adds that the environment at

Brydens also has nurtured loyaltyamong its employees. “Bryden affordsus an opportunity to be autonomous,”he says.For instance, when Franco oversaw

its wine and spirits operations, “I [feltlike] I had my own company,” he says.“The leadership allows you the free-dom to fly.”Brydens fosters a family atmosphere.

“It’s a company where we treat peoplelike they’re family,” he says. “[We] try to retain a very open door-

type policy here,” Franco continues.“It’s been challenging to maintain thisenvironment as the company hasgrown over the years, but the leader-ship team strives to maintain the atmos-phere as best they can.”The company also strives to maintain

a humble attitude. “Humility is impor-tant to us and we’re grateful for our cus-tomers’ business,” Franco says. “We tryto keep our feet on the ground. I thinkthat’s extremely important.”



FULFILLING THE VISIONBrydens is proud of its warehousing center,which features 100,000 square feet of ambi-ent, chilled and bonded storage. In addition,it is located less than 10 minutes from Port ofSpain, allowing it to be close to a key busi-ness hub, the company says.“Our bonded warehousing also provides us

exporting capabilities that our competitorscannot provide,” it states. “We also benefitfrom being located on the same premises asour administrative offices, thereby ensuringvisibility and involvement of key manage-ment with the company.”The company adds that the facility features

a warehouse management system that isintegrated with its commercial and account-ing systems. “This initiative has been a keyenabler of our distribution center’s vision,” thecompany says.“The tool ensures optimal stock rotation,

lot/expiry control, location management, real-time shock visibility, improved use of avail-able storage space and visibility of criticalinformation,” the company says, adding thatit now employs the use of hand-held radiofrequency terminals.


sk practically any beer-drinker in the world toname an import beer,and chances are he orshe will name Heineken.

“It’s the most international brand in theworld,” Caribbean Managing DirectorEugene Ubalijoro asserts. “It’s ourflagship brand, and it’s available inmore than 170 countries. In any coun-try you can name, you’ll find Heinekenthere. It’s obviously critical that wekeep nurturing that brand, keep makingsure it grows and remains relevant toyoung adult consumers.”Ubalijoro accomplishes that in the

Caribbean not only through globaladvertising but also through local pro-motions that align with what theHeineken brand stands for, which ispremium quality. “The brand is forpeople who consider themselves to bea man of the world,” he maintains. “Weaim to delight and surprise our con-sumers all over the world.”Not only is Heineken a brand of

beer, it also is the name of a multifac-eted corporation with ownership inter-ests in beverages throughout the world.Heineken owns a portfolio of brandsthat are distributed worldwide, such asItalian brewer Moretti, the BelgianAffligen, England’s Newcastle BrownAle and Holland’s Amstel Light. Just inthe Caribbean – where Heineken is

Heinekenwww.heineken.comHQ: AmsterdamSpecialty: BeerEugene Ubalijoro, managing direc-tor for the Caribbean region: “Weaim to delight and surprise our con-sumers all over the world.”

company profile

>> Heineken Caribbean Managing Director Eugene Ubalijoro says, “It’s obviously critical we keep nurturing that brand.”

The World OverFounded in the exporting city of Amsterdam nearly 150 years ago, Heineken is a trulyinternational brand that is available in more than 170 countries. By Russ Gager

A


brewed and distributed as a premiumbrand – the company owns a number oflocal breweries.

Local Beers“Local beer is about local brands,”Ubalijoro maintains. “If you go to theBahamas, we have Kalik, a local brand.

In St. Lucia, we have Piton Beer. InMartinique, we have Bière Lorraine. Ifyou go to Haiti, we have Prestige. Localbrands are usually the most consumedbrands, because they cater to the main-stream segment of the market.”Prestige won the gold award for an

American-style cream ale or ale at the2012 Brewers Association World BeerCup competition at the 2012 CraftBrewers Conference. Heineken was aminority shareholder in BrasserieNationale d’Haïti, the brewery in Haitithat produces Prestige. “We’ve alwaysbeen present in Haiti,” Ubalijoro insists.“An opportunity came for us to takeover the majority this year, and we did,but we’ve always been in Haiti.”

Caribbean AccentUbalijoro is responsible for allHeineken’s activities in the Caribbean.“We’ve been operating in theCaribbean for many, many years viaour own breweries or licensed partner-

ships,” Ubalijoro says. “We also haveexport markets like Puerto Rico,Barbados and Bermuda whereHeineken enjoys a good position in thepremium segment.” Promotions by Heineken include the

first ever truly global Union ofEuropean Football Associations(UEFA) Champions League TrophyTour. This brings the famed trophycloser to football fans around the world.Stars of the sport make appearanceswith the trophy in Mexico City andGuadalajara, Mexico. The trophy also isescorted through Africa from Dar-es-Salaam to Mombasa and Nairobi. Itstour ends in Shanghai. This is the sixthtime Heineken has sponsored the tour.“Heineken is one of the main spon-

sors of that tournament in Europe,”Ubalijoro points out. “For example, wetake that property and we basically acti-vate it in all our markets using theHeineken brand.” The association ofHeineken with the UEFA – whichassembles the best football teams inEurope – adds to Heineken’s premiumimage, he says.“It’s easy to introduce a brand like



The Heineken brand is for people who considerthemselves to be men of the world. Its image isstrengthened in the next James Bond film, titled“SkyFall,” the 23rd film in the long-running series andthe sixth in which Heineken has participated,

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Heineken in a new market, because you’llfind most people are familiar with thename,” Ubalijoro points out. “They see itin the Champions League, they see itassociated with movies like James Bond.It’s very easy to relate to – it’s an interna-tionally well-known brand. We just haveto make sure the brand remains relevantas it has been all over the world.”

International EmployeesOne way to do that is to have an inter-national staff. Ubalijoro is responsiblefor Heineken’s brands throughout theCaribbean, including Puerto Rico, theVirgin Islands and Bermuda. “TheHeineken brand is an internationalbrand, so for us to make it relevant, wehave to have managers who come fromdifferent backgrounds, understand dif-ferent cultural environments and posi-tion the brand so it is understood byglobal consumers,” he says.

His management team is a virtualUnited Nations, including memberswho are Caribbean, French, Dutch,Italian, American, Irish and Mexican.Ubalijoro himself is from Rowanda,Africa. He attended GeorgetownUniversity in the United States andreceived an MBA from The Universitéde Sherbrooke in Canada.“I’ve been with Heineken for 22

years,” Ubalijoro relates. “I started as atrainee in my home country ofRwanda.” He was placed in a trainingprogram in sales, production and mar-keting for two years and worked inFrance and the Democratic Republic ofthe Congo.He also worked as a commercial

manager until 1995 and a regional mar-keting manager based in Atlanta in theUnited States. Then it was off toAmsterdam and Heineken world head-quarters, then Africa again, and on to a

small French island in the Indian Oceanbetween Madagascar and Mauritius.“I’m always looking for challenges, andtoday my challenge is to grow my busi-ness in the Caribbean,” he says. The recent global financial crisis is

keeping Ubalijoro’s management teamon its toes. “The world is going througha global crisis, so we are just learninghow to maneuver,” he says. “We have toadapt to the challenging circumstancesjust like everybody else.”For the future, Ubalijoro seeks out

synergies. “We are always looking atvarious opportunities that match up withour strength, obviously in brewing,” henotes. “We first try to assess the size ofthese opportunities. So if we feel theopportunity is interesting enough, weget into it at this point. We always lookat all possible opportunities that maycome up, but we don’t get into opportu-nities that don’t make sense.”

food and drink • summer 2012 • www.fooddrink-magazine.com41



sition it as the authentic Caribbeanbeer,”� Henderson says. “What we’veseen is that over the years, we have got-ten away from that, but we saw that as acore message that we need to get backto reinforcing for our customer base.”�

Caribbean CloutThat goes for its current and future cus-tomer base. The company, with brew-eries in St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada andTrinidad, wants its products to beknown in the rest of the world just as it’sknown in its home base – as a true Car -ibb ean product. Its most popular markets reside in its

areas of operation, but also in otherCaribbean countries such as Barbados.Its largest export market in Guyana is a

here certainly are benefits to being the first, since it’s typically syn-onymous with being the original. For the second in line, that’s often ahard sentiment to follow, but for the originator, it also can be a hardsentiment to maintain. However, at Carib Brewery, founded 65 yearsago as the first brewery in the Caribbean, the company has found that

remaining the original involves constant change.“Being the first brewery has always helped in establishing Carib Lager as the

local beer,”� Global Brands Director Douglas Henderson explains. “But movingforward, it has been the strength of the brand that hasallowed us to grow.“Carib beer is sold in 29 countries around the world

and the majority is within the Caribbean region,”�Henderson adds. That is our strength and why we takethe position as a real Caribbean beer.”� This year, the brewery, which manufactures and dis-

tributes 17 beer brands, has stepped up its efforts tomake sure its 62-year-old flagship Carib Lager is not for-gotten as the original Caribbean beer. “We came out this year with a new campaign to repo-

Carib Brewerywww.caribrewery.comHQ: Champ Fleurs, TrinidadEmployees: 8002011 revenue: $155 millionSpecialty: Alcoholic beveragesDouglas Henderson, global brandsdirector: “We like to think thatnobody knows the Caribbean as wellas we do in terms of how the marketand distribution networks work here.”

company profile

T

>> With breweries located in St. Kitts & Nevis, Grenada and Trinidad, Carib Brewery has a strong presence as a manufacturer and distributor of alcoholic beverages in the Caribbean.

Caribbean OriginalCarib Brewery may have its roots planted firmly in the Caribbean, but its branches and productscan be found in other markets around the world. By Jamie Morgan


South American country with strongCaribbean ties. However, Carib alsoexports to non-neighboring countriessuch as Sweden, the United Kingdom,Canada and the eastern United States.Before the economic downturn inGreece put a damper on exports, Caribbeer was the summer beer of choice forthe region. Henderson explains that Carib has its

sights set on expansion and growing inthese non-Caribbean markets, but itmust first take care of business at home. “If we want to posture ourselves as a

real Caribbean beer, then we need tohave a very strong Caribbean foot-print,”� he says. “For the last five years,we have grown export sales by over 80percent and that has primarily been inexisting markets. “We are working very hard to

strengthen our position within existing

markets primarily within the Caribbeanand really making sure that when we gooutside of the Caribbean and talk aboutCarib being real Caribbean beer thatwe are doing so from a position ofstrength that can be validated by anytraveler,”� Henderson adds. “So inAntigua, Barbados, St. Lucia and St.Vincent, all these islands, we’ve beenlooking to improve our strength andmarket share.”� Its 2012 campaign as the authentic

Caribbean lager along with a strongincrease in exports to Caribbean neigh-bors puts the company in a confidentposition to send the same message tothe rest of the world. It has a strategy ofnatural progression that will help itbreak into new consumer bases. “The U.S. market has always had our

attention, there’s no doubt about that,”�Henderson says. “We’ve been in the

U.S. market for over 15 years and we’restill trying to understand it and we’restill trying to develop an appeal outsideof our core customer base, which is theWest Indies population living in theUnited States. “Also, when we look at Central Am -

erica, all the countries there are Spanish-speaking except one, which is Belize,”�he continues. “Belize is the one marketwhich is English-speaking and considersitself more a part of the Caribbean thanit does Central America. It was a feasibleentry into the Central America market toestablish our foothold.”�

Mackeson Moves InWhen Carib expanded into Belize, ittook with it Carib Lager and its recent-ly acquired brand Mackeson TripleStout. The milk stout, with origins inBritain’s touristy Hythe, Kent region, isknown as a not too sweet, not too bitterand full-bodied stout. Before buying thebrand, Carib held a license to manufac-ture and distribute Mackeson in theCaribbean region. “We brewed it under license for a

while and because of the growth that



Carib Brewery has been selling to the U.S. market formore than 15 years, and the company says it continuesto expand its presence there.

<<

“If we want to posture ourselves as a realCaribbean beer, then we need to have a verystrong Caribbean footprint.”

we’ve seen with Mackeson being in anumber of our Caribbean markets – wewere head to head with Guinness shar-ing up to 50 percent of the market withGuinness – we just believe this brandcould globally, in time, be the No.2 stoutbrand in the world,” Henderson says.“It’s ambitious for a small brewery tothink like that, but that’s what webelieve the brand could do. We’ve seentremendous growth in the last five, sixyears in various places.”� Carib Brewery has this faith in

Mackeson, Carib Lager and many ofthe other brands it manufactures, andnot just as a brand owner, but as aCaribbean-based licensed manufactur-er and distributor of other brands, aswell. The company has longstandingrelationships with Heineken as well asDiageo, which owns a number ofbrands such as Smirnoff and Guinness,and believes that working with these

international corporations brings greatknowledge to Carib and vice versa.

Growing Relationships “These relationships we do want tostrengthen because there are mutualbenefits,” Henderson explains. “We liketo think that nobody knows theCaribbean as well as we do in terms ofhow the market and distribution net-works work here.”�These and other partners also can

rest a bit easier knowing their brand isin the hands of a company that investsin its operations. In January, CaribBrewery announced it would bring anew technologically advanced brewhouse on line. The facility is up and run-ning and the company is installing threeadditional storage tanks that will becommissioned within the next two tothree months. The additional space will help Carib

Brewery keep up with demand forbrands such as the Shandy Carib –Carib’s flavored beer line that claimsthe United States as its second largestmarket outside of Trinidad. It also will help as the company

delves into evolving markets such aslight beer with Carib Light. The lightbeer market may be in full force in theUnited States, but Henderson says it isstill in the nascent stages in the Car -ibbean. However, the brewery wantedto set the standard as the Caribbeanoriginator in light beers, just as CaribLager set the stage for Caribbean beerback in the 1950s.“I am very optimistic for Carib,”

Henderson says. “I think we are one ofthose breweries that has a great story totell. We may be small, but we believewe can do big things and the team hereis dedicated to that. The biggest thingwe need to have is patience.”

food and drink • summer 2012 • www.fooddrink-magazine.com45


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