KINGSTON, Jamaica – In the month of October, JAMPRO will spearhead three trade missions to SIAL in Paris, France, the Americas Food and Beverage Show in Miami, USA, and Grocery Innovations Canada in Toronto, as part of its mandate to promote Brand Jamaica products globally and assist local exporters to penetrate into new markets and expand their presence in existing ones.
SIAL 2010, branded as the “Global Food Marketplace” and scheduled to take place from October 17 to 21, ranks highly among the world’s premier food industry shows and has an established track record of pairing business with innovation. The 14th Americas Food & Beverage Show, which is expected to attract over 1,700 international buyers from October 26 to 27, is the largest two-way trade exhibition in the western hemisphere dedicated to food and beverage. Grocery Innovations Canada (GIC), the largest grocery conference and tradeshow in Canada, will be held from October 25 to 27.
Jamaican exporters taking part in these events will have the opportunity to engage the major players in the food and beverage industry in the respective markets and showcase their products to distributors, importers, retailers, wholesalers and institutional and commercial caterers.
“JAMPRO continues to intensify our efforts to provide a range of export development services to our clients, as well as, to expose them to opportunities to increase market access that will ultimately enhance the export of Jamaican goods and services,” stated Berletta Henlon-Forrester, JAMPRO’s Export Promotion Manager.
BnRs Holdings, Central Food Packers Limited, Mavis Bank Coffee Factory Limited and Sue Tru Caribbean Manufacturing and Distribution Limited are the companies that will be seeking to forge new and exciting business partnerships with European business interests on the mission to SIAL.
“We have trade experience with the UK, where the Diaspora makes it easier to enter the market, but there are opportunities that exist in other European countries. By attending SIAL, we hope to use France as a kind of gateway to make further inroads into the rest of the European market,” stated Paul Bravo of Central Food Packers.
BnRs will also join Lasco, Worthy Park Estate Limited, Grace Foods International, The Jerk Place and Restaurant Limited, Creation Foods, Wisynco and Coffee Solutions at the Americas Food & Beverage Show, which will prominently feature a Caribbean Pavilion at this year’s staging. The Jamaican line-up for Grocery Innovation Canada includes BnRs, Sue Tru Caribbean, Caribbean Foods Limited, Tijule Limited, Perishables Jamaica Limited and Kountry Delite. The products that will be exhibited at the three events will range from sauces, seasonings, marinades, jams and jellies, condiments, salsas, dips and Blue Mountain coffee.
We hope to establish a solid foundation for our line of products and secure distributorships and retail sale agreements coming out of our participation in these events. We really want to let the major players in the marketplace know that our brand is out there…we commend JAMPRO for providing the usual organisation and support as we seek to expand our business,” said Bertram Banton, Managing Director of BnRs Holdings.
Henlon-Forrester exuded optimism at the many business possibilities that could arise from the upcoming missions.
“Even in the face of global trade decline, there is still significant demand for high quality, high value Jamaican products internationally. These market penetration activities will provide us with the opportunity to showcase some of our finest products to markets that continue to demand a taste of Jamaica.”
