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What do an Olympic athlete, a mathematician and a university dropout all have in common with each other and the unlimited potential of digital business in the Caribbean?  They are all impressive and inspiring Caribbean founders of successful technology start-ups – living proof of what regional entrepreneurs and innovators can achieve.

Just their presence on the stage of the Caribbean Investment Forum earlier this month was an inspiration to the many aspiring and talented innovators from the region, who are trying to burst free of the constraints of the regional landscape, and rocket their digital businesses upwards. 

Caribbean Export hopes that their advice, the story of their journey and even their frank views of the state of play in the region will resonate with aspiring entrepreneurs and policymakers alike, as we seek to harness the vast power of ICT to transform businesses, lives and socio-economic development in the region.

The technology entrepreneurs led the Fireside Chat on ICT & Digital Business: Transforming the Region One Gigabyte at a Time, on Day 2 of the Forum (November 10th 2022) at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

They were:

• Moderator Kirk-Anthony Hamilton, Co-founder & Director of Tech Beach Retreat in Jamaica
• Nicholas Rees, Co-Founder & Chairman of KANOO in the Bahamas, which has been authorised by the Bahamas Central Bank to build out and implement Sand Dollar, the world’s first Central Bank-issued digital currency.
• Gordon Swaby, Co-Founder & CEO – EduFocal, an award-winning, learning technology platform
• Larren Peart, Founder & CEO – Blue Dot Insights – a fast-growing data analytics firm that began in Jamaica, expanded to Trinidad and owns a company in the US.
• Pascale Elie, Founder – Cell Pay, a digital wallet and e-payments network operating in Haiti. Her passion and focus is promoting financial inclusion.

As Moderator and technology player in his own right, Kirk-Anthony Hamilton, put it to the audience: “Today, everyone on stage has businesses in multi jurisdictions.  We believe technology enables us to reach out more broadly and more quickly and this group, every person on this stage, is aggressively about driving transformation in the region…These are power players. Everyone has raised capital for their businesses and have robust platforms that are very new to the region that are starting to perform well.”  

The technology CEOs all agreed that the way forward for the region to benefit from the incoming tidal wave of opportunity for digital business was through partnership, collaboration, bringing ideas together, creating synergies and sharing information. A rising tide raises all boats, they stressed.

It is also part of the positive culture shift Hamilton sees taking place.   “We grew up in an era where the conversation wasn’t open and transparent,” you didn’t talk to everybody about what you were doing, and you feared that the bank would steal your concept rather than fund it.

Rees, the two-time Olympics swimming athlete who holds both an MBA and an Accounting degree, noted that when you go island hopping you see that each island has both advantages and disadvantages, you see the commonalities and the challenges.  His conviction is: “We can connect the Caribbean through technology and collectively we can solve all our own problems.  I really believe that…I see Kanoo as charting that course.”

What’s lacking in the market to more rapidly achieve his vision? “There is still that challenge about access to capital…the Caribbean still does not have an established venture capital firm focused on technology. There are different people trying things to fill the gap.  That’s definitely something we need to see,” Rees said.

He is one of the persons trying to fill the gap. Kanoo has partnered with DraperStartup House out of Draper University to see how the Silicon Valley investment mindset can find, fund and facilitate the innovative ideas in the region. “We have launched the Kanoo Innovation Hub based in Bahamas.  It is open to everyone in the Caribbean to come learn, participate and get your ideas funded,” Rees said. You have the opportunity to be funded up to US$3 million for your idea, and it will also enable you with access to coders, access to international networks and access to relationships, he added.

How was he able to enter the tech space and succeed?  Rees said: “I was lucky in terms of my placement in life, the opportunities that I had, persons I would have met…I’m a two-time Olympian …so in terms of the training, the dedication, the sacrifice for long-term goals – a lot of those values align with success in the business world, the same principles are involved.”

His advice to other technology aspirants: “I would say focus on learning first.  Find your purpose, understanding your work and your value.  Luck is where preparation meets opportunity, so you have to be patient and walk that dream and follow your intuition and be positive above all things.”

EducFocal’s Gordon Swaby is the youngest entrepreneur so far (at age 32) to list on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. The 10-year old company is an education technology company that is redefining learning today for business tomorrow.  The social learning website uses gamification to present its test material to students.

Ironically, Swaby dropped out of the University of Technology and started EducFocal, which has been powering schools and companies with its award-winning learning platform and e-courses.

He told the audience at CIF: “We don’t have a lack of innovators (in the Caribbean) but we have an innovation problem. I believe that young innovators are not being given wind beneath their wings to fly and to create solutions for problems that we have in common in the Caribbean.”

Nevertheless, he urged young people to look beyond traditional paths, which were no longer so rewarding, to achieve their bright future, saying: “A lot of people, within the context of wanting to educate themselves, stay with the tried and true path of becoming a doctor or lawyer when there are opportunities to become something else.”  You go to medical school for 10 years and after you graduate you find you are earning less than what you expect to earn.  You migrate to another country thinking that you have hit the jackpot and find that you are working harder than you worked in the Caribbean and you’re still not earning what you expected to earn, he pointed out.

Swaby wants to show young people that there is a different path via technology and how it can spur development in the Caribbean.  But the ease of doing business has to be improved to encourage young entrepreneurs to live and work in the Caribbean, he added.  He related that after purchasing a company in the US earlier this year, part of the process required that he had to register a subsidiary, which he did from his bedroom in Jamaica in two days while he noted that Larren had to come back to Trinidad to register his business.

What is still considered innovation in the Caribbean is not innovation anymore elsewhere, Swaby said. “Registering a company online shouldn’t be considered innovative.  I can’t sit here on this stage (in Trinidad) and transfer money easily to Jamaica… I feel like we are having the same conversations for too long…a lot of things should be a no-brainer because they are a no-brainer in other parts of the world.”

Blue Dot Insights is a data company focused on data analytics, modelling, market research and consumer insights.  CEO Larren Peart said he started the company eight years ago when no-one was talking about data but, now, data is recognised as an enabler of growth and companies are making decisions with data. 

“We’re not short on talent in the Caribbean…What we’re doing now is leveraging the talent we have and exporting our services,” Peart said. “Our data services in Jamaica are cheaper than what a North American company would provide.  From a nearshore outsourcing standpoint, that’s a significant advantage to North American companies,” he noted. Unfortunately, he added, “although there is some take up of what we do, now, (in the Caribbean) the North American companies understand the value of it even more.”

“We don’t have a healthy fear of disruption,” Peart said.  That is why we can sit back and not innovate.   “In the early days of Covid there was all this talk initially about digital transformation and the new normal…That didn’t happen at all in the Caribbean…We’ve gone back to how we were pre-Covid,” he said.   There are still lines outside brick and mortar businesses that should frankly not be there, he added.

In the same vein, Peart said that although the most profitable companies in the world are technology companies, if a bank or investor in the Caribbean had to choose between funding a $20 million real estate development or a $20 million technology company, they are going to put their money in real estate. “That kind of thinking has to change,” he urged.

Peart encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to be part of a community and interact with each other. “Community is important.  Having access to other entrepreneurs. When you interact with other entrepreneurs you have that shared experience. You learn so much from each other… and it creates a good energy.  It is motivational,” he said.

Pascale Elie is the Chairwoman for HaitiPay S.A., whose focus is to develop and implement technological solutions to increase access to financial services for the Haitian communities living in country, in the Diaspora, and in urban and rural areas.  She is also Founder and President of CellPay Corporation, an electronic payment solution focusing on connecting Diasporas with their families in underdeveloped economies by sending funds directly to eWallets and can be used within a payment ecosystem.

Believing that technology is the key to economic development and understanding that the larger the market, the more interested are investors, Elie said: “We are looking for viable partnerships in the Caribbean and even Latin America, at some point, to have a larger opportunity so the potential investor will look at us as a very interesting market.” 

She urged the other panelists and all those frustrated with the slow pace of improving the ease of doing business in the Caribbean not to give up.  “It is important to keep the conversation going and open when talking to regulators.  Don’t leave the whole design to the regulators.”   The Haitian Alliance for Financial Inclusion was established, she said, “just to ensure we have a seat at the table when talking about financial inclusion in Haiti.”

All the technology entrepreneurs have overcome challenges and obstacles to achieve success.  So even as they seek to make the path smoother for the next generation, they noted that entrepreneurs who end up being the most prepared are “the ones who fight their way into a room like this…or drive for miles to find access to internet.”   Rees added: “Government should provide infrastructure and enable fair play but the market should drive change.  If we see something that needs to happen, we should go do it.”

The inaugural Caribbean Investment Forum took place at the Hyatt Regency in Trinidad and Tobago from November 8-11, 2022.  The high-level, business-focused event connected key regional decision-makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs with the world’s most influential investors to explore the investment opportunities available throughout the region. It also served as a launching pad for thought leaders keen on accruing the benefits of first-mover advantages in this developing space. 

Under the theme Building A SMARTer, GREENer Caribbean, stakeholders focused, in particular, on investment opportunities in technology and innovation, agriculture technology, renewable energy, and transport and logistics.   Projects in these areas will improve the lives of over 30 million Caribbean people in the 23 member countries of CAIPA (Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies) across the Region. 

The regional forum, was organized by the Caribbean Export Development Agency in collaboration with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, CARICOM, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies and with the support of the European Union. 

Visit the event website: www.caribbeaninvestmentforum.com 

There is a popular saying which goes “never let a good crisis go to waste”. The world faces a panoply of crises: climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and a likely global recession if recent predictions from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank pan out. Faced with this trifecta of crises, Caribbean governments have evinced greater urgency to work closer with the private sector for diversifying and transforming their economies to sustainable growth and development paths. This article argues that, while not a panacea, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in high-value sectors is one of the ways Caribbean governments could achieve sustainable post-COVID-19 transformation of their economies. The article further contends that the benefits of FDI are not automatic and that Caribbean countries’ foreign investment promotion and facilitation efforts must be informed by data, their national development strategies and focused on also wooing regional and diaspora investors.

The economic transformation imperative

In their study entitled “Supporting Economic Transformation”, McMillan et al. (2017) define economic transformation as “a process of moving labour and other resources from lower- to higher productivity activities.” This, they argue, entails not just shifting resources between sectors to higher-value activities, such as shifting from agriculture to manufacturing, but also such change within sectors, such as shifting from producing low productivity subsistence farming to high-value crops within sophisticated value chains (McMillan et al 2017).

For this economic transformation to be sustainable, the process must be informed by a sustainable development framework. Indeed, the concept of “sustainable development” has been the dominant paradigm of development since the 1990s. In its groundbreaking 1987 Report, the Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Commission 1987). Following on from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 encompasses 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and their 169 targets which all countries, including Caribbean States, have committed to achieve by 2030. As identified in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (2015), FDI is one of the financing channels from which countries could raise the financing needed to meet their development objectives.

Sustainable economic transformation has been a post-independence policy imperative of Caribbean governments. Caribbean economies have largely moved from monocrop economies, focused on the export of agricultural commodities, to services-based economies buoyed primarily by tourism and financial services exports. The commodities-based economies of Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Suriname have also been underdoing diversification efforts. The region has seen generally high levels of human development. However, economic transformation of regional economies has been constrained by several structural factors, including small population size, narrow economic and export bases, high import dependence, and their susceptibility to shocks.

In their IMF blog post dated October 2020 Pienknagura, Roldos & Werner (2020) noted that although the region had been relatively successful at managing the virus spread, Caribbean countries were the hardest hit economically because of their heavy dependence on tourism for economic activity and employment. The authors likened the sudden stop in tourist arrivals and local lockdowns to ‘a cardiac arrest to their economies’. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed and exacerbated pre-existing social issues: rising crime, large informal economies, youth underemployment and unemployment, poverty and growing income inequality.

The good news is that, as the World Bank (2022) reports, many of our countries are expected to experience positive growth, with Guyana and Barbados projected to lead the Latin America and Caribbean region in growth in 2022 (World Bank 2022). However, many headwinds exist, such the Russia-Ukraine crisis, global inflation, a weakening UK economy and news that the IMF expects some two-thirds of the global economy to contract in 2023. There is also the looming debt crisis as many developing countries, lacking enough fiscal space, were forced to take on new debt to ride out the pandemic.

FDI and economic transformation

Caribbean countries generally have very liberal and open investment regimes. In large part, our countries followed the ‘Industrialisation by Invitation’ model proposed by St. Lucian-born Nobel Prize Laureate in economics, the venerable Sir W. Arthur Lewis. The empirical literature shows that FDI has many benefits for countries, including employment generation, foreign exchange, and the transfer of skills, knowledge and technology. However, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) noted that while FDI was key for economic recovery, “there is no evidence to suggest that FDI has contributed to a change of direction in the development model in the [LAC] region because many inflows go the sectors where transnational enterprises have played a prominent role for decades.” While detailed data on FDI flows by sector is not widely available in the Caribbean, successive ECLAC reports show that most FDI to the region generally goes to tourism and the extractive sectors.

It is increasingly recognized that countries should focus on attracting FDI in sectors which would help them achieve their development objectives. To this end, UNCTAD (2014) has identified in its World Investment Report of 2014 10 SDG-related sectors as follows: power, climate change mitigation, food security, telecommunications, transport, ecosystems/biodiversity, health, water and sanitation, climate change adaptation and education (UNCTAD 2014). The sectors of focus at Caribbean Export Development Agency’s forthcoming Caribbean Investment Forum in November 2022, namely digital economy, agribusiness, the blue economy, sustainable tourism, logistics and transportation innovation and renewable energy are all high growth sectors and sectors which, in many cases, are SDG-related.

How do we make FDI transformative?

First, Caribbean countries should continue to identify and prioritise those sectors in which FDI could be most transformative, in particular the SDG-related sectors UNCTAD (2014) identified. Most Caribbean countries’ IPAs indeed indicate on their websites and marketing material sectors of particular interest to their country for attracting investment. However, there is limited available data on what levels of FDI goes to these sectors and there is therefore need for greater levels of FDI data disaggregation, including by sector.

Second, given the region’s sizable diaspora and efforts to transform the CSME into a single investment space, the focus should not just be on attracting and facilitating foreign investors (those without ties to the region) but also diaspora investors and regional investors. Caribbean IPAs have already made diaspora FDI targeting part of their promotion efforts and these should be intensified. Particularly, it is important to conduct research on what are the potential investment interests of the diaspora and any barriers to investment the diaspora experiences.

Third, investment reforms must form part of a wider investment strategy, which coheres with the country’s industrial and trade policies, all of which are moored to the country’s development strategy. To this extent, it is important for those countries which have them to evaluate the utility of their international investment agreements, in particular their bilateral investment treaties.

Fourth, competition for investors among Caribbean countries cannot be merely on tax rate or incentives alone, but on their value proposition to investors, through things such as market potential, ease of establishment, access to finance, and other factors which investors consider in their decisions. Moreover, despite on-going reforms and improvements, doing business within the Caribbean and between Caribbean countries retains many frictions. Intra-CARICOM trade remains low compared to many other regions due to many factors, including logistical and historical factors but also because of the financial frictions.

Fifth, the aim is to attract investment which is development-friendly, sustainable and inclusive. Therefore, screening of proposed investments to prevent environmental degradation, as well as monitoring to ensure compliance with environmental and labour laws will ensure such investments are sustainable.

Sixth, evidence-based investment policy requires data which is lacking for many Caribbean countries. Limited disaggregated data on investment type, source or sector makes it difficult to empirically assess the effectiveness of investment promotion and facilitation strategies. Moreover, investors often rely on such data in making their decisions on whether to invest or reinvest. As such, a concerted approach to improving the quality, timeliness and availability of data should be a key component of the region’s efforts.

In summary, accelerating the promotion and facilitation of foreign direct investment is one important element for the post-COVID-19 sustainable transformation of Caribbean economies in an increasingly polycrisis world. It can do so by stimulating economic activity, foreign exchange inflows and job creation. However, these benefits are not automatic and must be informed by a sound development strategy and monitored if they are to achieve the desired results.

Your preferred cough and allergy medicines have disappeared from the pharmacy shelf and every time you ask for an out-of-stock item at the supermarket, hardware or appliance store – they can’t say when the item will arrive in the country or at what price.  The reason given? Supply chain disruptions as a consequence of the pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war.  A catch-all excuse and easy target to blame.

Caribbean importers, businesses and industry are under huge pressure to maintain their operations in the face of uncertain arrivals of goods, high and ever-increasing shipping costs and the ongoing problems of delays and inefficiencies at their countries’ ports.

These businesses and citizens throughout the region might have been shocked at some of the revelations and views that emerged during the passionate discussion around the transport & logistics at the recently held Caribbean Investment Forum in Trinidad and Tobago.  

Organized by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) in collaboration with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, CARICOM, the Caribbean Development Bank, and the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies with the support of the European Union under the theme, Resolving the Challenge of Caribbean Logistics Through Investment, the panel discussion drew the interest of the large audience attending the event.  Both they and the presenters were urgent, insightful and outspoken about the port and shipment issues that they felt could be resolved with political and public will.  They bluntly opined that these unresolved and festering issues:

• have stunted the development of economies throughout the region;
• are threatening the survival and growth of individual businesses and industries;
• have, for decades, suppressed the Caribbean region from realising its bright and prosperous potential;
• have directly and negatively impacted the quality of life of Caribbean citizens and Caribbean societies;
• are the direct cause of many shipping lines leaving the region, with no new entrants replacing them; and
• could cause the Caribbean to miss out on huge new opportunities for transformative growth and development through the proposed US Nearshore Act now in Congress as well as from the economic boom in Guyana.

The long-standing issues included:

• 14 islands with 14 different tariffs instead of a seamless space through which cargo could travel;
• lack of standardisation with each country having its own Maritime, Customs and Port policies;
• shipping lines leaving the Caribbean frustrated with the lack of co-ordination and collaboration that drove up costs, reduced profits and created an unpredictable business environment;
• inefficient ports with unpredictable wait times;
• decisions and policies made using emotions rather than facts and data; and
• no region-wide support for a single hub to leverage economies of scale as exemplified by Miami.

The dynamic roundtable of presenters was moderated by JAMPRO President Diane Edwards, and comprised:

• Elva Williams-Richards, Senior VP Finance – The Port Authority of Jamaica
• Darwin Telemaque, CEO – Antigua & Barbuda Port Authority
• Shaun Rampersad, CEO – RAMPS Logistics Ltd
• Raphael D’angelis, Co-Founder & Chairman – Upturn Funds

According to D’angelis, Upturn is seeking to integrate the Caribbean via cargo with its primary focus being to integrate Guyana into the rest of the region.  The incentive, he said, was the US$100 million that Guyana would be spending on infrastructure over a number of years.

D’angelis disclosed that negotiations were already taking place to introduce a flat rate tariff system across the region for agribusiness transported via airlines. “We were amazed at how quickly this project is coming into fruition and pretty soon, for certain selected countries, we will be able to offer a flat rate and future export contracts,” he said. He hopes this will create a template that the seaports could then use.

He reminded the audience that the US was looking to the region to provide an alternative to China as a supplier and, if the US Nearshore Act was passed, it presented a golden opportunity to integrate the region.  He gave the example of wood being extracted in Guyana, processed in Trinidad and exported to the US market.

Emphasising that the US looked at the Caribbean as one community, he said Upturn’s priority is “portability across region.”  In this regard, Telemaque noted that in the US, under the Interstate Commerce Law, no State could restrict movement of trade from another State “so no business person anywhere in the US has to wonder if he can get his product to another State.”

D’angelis also disclosed that Upturn’s research found that: “If I integrate the Caribbean islands in one logistics system I can immediately expect a 15 per cent growth across the region… Today we are losing 15 per cent economic growth simply by not being integrated.”  That growth, he added, would pay the cost of integration many times over.

He believes there is a high likelihood that the Nearshore Act will be passed. “The question the region has to ask itself is, if the Nearshore Act is passed tomorrow, are you ready?” 

Upturn’s framework sees Jamaica, Guyana and T&T as the main hubs with the secondary markets supplying into the chain. 

Can the Caribbean find the will to make it happen? Telemaque believes that Miami port’s efficiency has made the Caribbean lazy because the ship shows up, you get fed, and you figure you don’t have to do anything else.  “So the entire system is very relaxed because the ship showed up so …we feel we don’t need a Guyana or Trinidad because Miami is so efficient,” he said.

Pointing to the supply chain issues that have impacted trade in the Caribbean due to the pandemic and war, he urged that “as a people we have to come out of that level of comfort and understand …we have to build our own logistics system.”  

He was bluntly honest that the attitude among the countries of the region was: “If you’re going to be a hub, I want to be a hub too…and if you build this facility, I will build it too.  And all of a sudden, you  have all these things built and no-one is using them efficiently…and Miami keeps doing it efficiently.”

The impassioned speaker stressed: “The first thing we need is honest discussion that we are interested in improving the lives of our people by changing our own individualistic mindset” and that could mean sacrificing our own island’s interest for the region’s, understanding that by doing so, everyone will be better off.

If the decision on who should be a hub is data driven rather than emotional, the answer is obvious, he said, because Jamaica has the only port in the Caribbean with global access and Trinidad has the best connected port in the Caribbean. 

To an outbreak of spontaneous applause he urged: “Let’s use the global entry into Kingston.  Let’s dovetail the global entry with the best connected port in the Caribbean, that’s Port of Spain, and let’s feed the markets.  It’s a simple strategy that is clouded by our individual interest.  It’s time to fix that.”

We need to find a way to come together and work on these common problems and find solutions,  Williams-Richards said. She also stressed the importance of putting port management “in the hands of people who have the best capability to manage it.”  This is not giving away assets, she emphasised.  Jamaica put structures in place to ensure the operator delivered and the port has generated more revenue for the government than if it had tried to operate the port itself, she noted.

D’angelis also urged the Caribbean to think outside of tourism because it was not bringing the benefits it used to.  He advised that each country should “identify a national champion” that it could export.  Each country has that.  Antigua’s national champion, for example, could be black pineapple which is sweeter than anywhere else, he said.

For Ramps’ Rampersad, the imperative is crystal clear.  He said: “For those of us who live in the Caribbean, what we have to be concerned about more than anything else is quality of life …and that quality of life will always be proportional to the strength and quality of the businesses that operate here in the Caribbean, especially the new businesses and start-ups, and a major component of those businesses being successful is logistics.” Rampersad pointed out that: “A lot of the time, our best and  brightest companies can’t scale up because of the logistics component. The supply chain component is extremely difficult.” 

Rampersad warned that the region would lose the next generation if we did not solve the problems. “If we are really going to build a Caribbean where the next generation feels they could stay right here and live as good a quality of life versus having to fly up north, then logistics is an important component of that because logistics helps to build better businesses and we need better businesses in the Caribbean in order to have a better life.” The Caricom Heads initiative to reduce the region’s food import bill by 25% by 2025 has given him a new feeling of optimism because he sees it as a rallying banner; something unifying that everyone could get behind and support. “When you listen to President Ali and Prime Minister Mottley and how strongly they are going behind this 25 by 25…it makes you think maybe there is real political will this time to get this thing done,” Rampersad said.

We are living in a connected world in what is already shaping up to be the Connected Century despite inward-looking tendencies by some. The Covid-19 Pandemic is a stark reminder of this reality. However, the same connectedness that allowed for the cascading of this crisis has facilitated the massive scaling of resilient responses and out-pouring of solidarity and support. Collectively, citizens, communities, businesses, and governments are trying to come to terms with the new normal, re-examining their raison d’être and relationships with each other and the planet to allow for sustainability and resilience.

The inter-connected global economy, underpinned by digital technologies and infrastructure may be conceptualised as an ecosystem with a heterogeneous distribution of various resources, exploited by strategic actors mediated through conventions and agreements in a dynamic climate of competition and cooperation.

The implication of such a perspective for economic actors in the Caribbean Region is to first adopt an optimistic framework grounded in the idea of niche opportunities for the diversification of our economies consistent with our collective resources in strategic partnership with relevant global actors. This would require a winning mindset buttressed by a system of intelligence gathering for mapping the global techno-economic landscape and emerging consumer trends to inform new product and business model innovation, and the improvement or repositioning of existing good and services Caribbean businesses offer to a global marketplace.

Businesses wishing to internationalise and grow, must adopt appropriate digital technologies and business models to improve their products and production processes, establish attractive online presences to advertise these products, engage with customers, receive payments, deliver purchases, provide after sales services, and connect with suppliers and logistics partners. The Covid 19 Pandemic has proven that companies in our Region can digitalise certain aspects of their business to respond to changing market conditions._ⁱ The challenge is to incentivise more businesses to adopt and to support expansion and consolidation of adoption among companies who have already started the journey.

To facilitate this process of digitalisation, Caribbean companies will require investments of various types as they typically lack the requisite knowledge, skills, and capital to do so on their own.ⁱⁱ
To guide and focus their digitalisation strategy, companies can immediately focus on crucial areas such as market presence, customer engagement, operations, and the organisational setup.

More specifically there are opportunities for investments in the following areas:

• Providing knowledge and skills training to management and staff in the understanding and management of digitalisation.
• Training and capacitating in-country digital services specialists who will work one-on-one with companies to establish their level of digital maturity and elaborate a responsive digital adoption plan consistent with their business strategy.
• Proving capital to fund the various investments and activities defined in the adoption plan

As more Caribbean businesses sell online to foreign markets there would be a need for improved logistics services. The cost-effective provision of these services will encourage the adoption of E-Commerce by more businesses, creating a virtuous cycle of digitalisation in the wider economy. In traditional industries like agriculture and agro-processing there are investment opportunities for the use of appropriate technologies in production; creating digital marketplaces to integrate the value chain; as well use of sensors for traceability of products from farm to factory to consumer, enhancing trust and building reputation among value-based consumers and intermediaries. Consistent with recent near-shoring efforts, the Region is a prime destination for new investments in call centres, information processing and business process outsourcing, given our strategic location, our languages, and the availability of the requisite skills to support these operations.

From the perspective on new product development, there are opportunities to take advantage of our unique culture including music to create innovative products with mass appeal for non-traditional markets taking advantage of existing in-market consumer behaviour and infrastructure for consumer engagement.

I want to end this section with what I believe is a winner. The Caribbean Region possesses the creative capacity to pursue big bold initiatives in partnership world-class technology companies in areas where we have a decidedly competitive advantage. The concept of the Virtual Caribbean through Virtual Reality Tourism is a tremendous opportunity for investment through strategic partnerships given the Regions’ unparalleled diversity of beautiful landscapes and seascapes that can be virtualized and gamified for a growing market of “Digital Dwellers”. As the consumer hardware for accessing virtual reality content becomes more affordable, adoption of VR adoption would be driven by the availability of new type of quality and interesting content for new market segments. Virtual Reality Tourism (VRT) is a prime content area to drive new adoption.

Conclusion

The Digital Economy presents tremendous opportunities for digital entrepreneur to exploit. The individual, businesses, investors, and governments must conceptualize and equip themselves as entrepreneurs in this multi-dimensional digital economy. The task requires a winning mindset with a focused global-local approach to knowledge building of our indigenous resources and emerging trends, and visionary yet attentive leadership to initiate and sustain strategic partnerships with local stakeholders, key development actors, and global industry players.

ⁱSee https://www.pwc.com/cb/en/issues/assets/digital-readiness-survey-2021.pdf

ⁱⁱPacheco and Pacheco (2020). Available at: Microsoft Word – SST-3-2-2020-Pacheco-Pacheco (um.edu.mt)

The Caribbean Export Development Agency is carrying out a survey to understand the contribution and impact of our activities on businesses since 2017, during the implementation of the 11th EDF Regional Private Sector Development Programme funded by the European Union (EU).
 
The programme aims to support the development of businesses in the Caribbean and support them to export their products and services ultimately to create jobs and alleviate poverty.  This survey is designed to collect information on the Agency’s activities and resources e.g. grants, trade missions, webinars, trainings, resources via website, amongst others. 

Take Survey

 
Please be informed that all information shared and collected via this survey will be used for the purpose of reporting the outcomes and impacts of the activities on your firm and will be shared with the relevant donor partner.  
 
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This week the Caribbean Export team are showcasing fourteen Caribbean brands to exhibit at the world’s largest biannual trade fair SIAL in Paris, France.  Expecting more than 310,000 visitors over the five days from 14^th – 19^th October the Caribbean companies will showcase under the Absolutely Caribbean pavilion.

Exhibiting companies include new brands such as Only Coconuts by Precision Global Inc., who’s 30,000 sq. ft. state of the art processing facility in Guyana, certified non-GMO and HACCP produce a range of coconut-based products that are 100% pure and natural.

With a fresh new look VincyFresh (formerly Winfresh) continue to present their authentic marinades, sauces and condiments and promise to help you ‘LiveWell!’ by using the finest of ingredients that are grown in St Vincent and the Grenadines rich volcanic soil.

Other sauce and condiments producers also presenting include Superb Blend by Jays Enterprises from Barbados, Flauriels organic and natural range from St. Kitts and Nevis and natural turmeric paste Truly Turmeric from Belize by Naledo.  Surinamese producer GOM Food Industries are also offering their gluten free, vegan, Halal and no MSG sauces for export.

For the chocolatiers, Great Taste Award 2022 winner Cacoa Sainte Lucia is pulling in the crowds who are looking to try the award winning 100% cacoa vegan chocolate and Premium Dark Chocolate Almonds.  In addition, Haitian producer Choko Lakay ferments cocoa beans making them darker and sweeter in flavour with a smooth profile.

Pairing nicely with chocolate is Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee by Country Traders.  Arguably the worlds finest coffee, this silky smooth, well-balanced, full-bodied coffee is available for export and sources it’s beans directly from local farmers in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica.

When it comes to drinks, the Caribbean is widely known as the birthplace of rum and whilst we welcome premium rums from the Dominican Republic with Chicaron (a cinnamon rum), J&J Spirits and St. Lucia Distillers, we have women-owned V’Toria Rhonda Vineyard & Winery.

V’Toria Rhonda offers six innovative, exotic, tropical fruit wines blended with various grape varietals.

And after sampling all the food and drink available from the 200 countries at SIAL, be sure to check out the 100% natural herbal dietary supplements brought to the market by Natural Organic’s LLC.  Their supplements aim to detoxify the body, fight against inflammation, regulate blood sugar levels and reduce cholesterol, amongst others.

If you grew up in the Caribbean, chances are you spent some of your childhood climbing trees to pick a mango, papaya, breadfruit, or coconut.

Our region is resplendent with fruit trees which give up their yield on a frequent basis to provide a natural bounty that has been utilised by Caribbean people for generations in our kitchens, and to the benefit of our hair and skin.

Now, people around the world are realising the potential of what mother nature generously provides for us, with consumers increasingly gravitating towards products labelled as ‘100% natural’, ‘pure’, and ‘simple’, and preferring food that is minimally processed and free of artificial colours, additives, flavours, and sweeteners.

Recent research from Reportlinker.com predicts the global natural food and drink market will be worth $263.1 billion (US) by 2028, rising at a compound annual growth rate of 10.8% from 2022-2028.

This exponential growth provides an opportunity for Caribbean brands that have been successfully operating in this space locally and regionally and have access to superfoods and other potent ingredients on their doorstep.

Five regional companies heading to SIAL Paris 2022 will be hoping their natural products can attract attendees looking for innovative, exciting, and unique food and drink offerings.

SIAL is billed as the world’s biggest food fair and brings together influential producers, importers, buyers, and retailers from the global food industry to network, connect, and debate. This major event is particularly key for businesses that want to expand their exports to Europe and beyond.

Guyana’s Only Coconuts brand is the definition of wholesome, healthy food.

The range includes flour, chips (baked not fried), virgin oil, refined oil, and desiccated coconut and all the coconuts used are handpicked by Guyanese farmers growing trees on the Essequibo Coast, along the Pomeroon River, and in parts of Berbice.

Only Coconuts products are processed at the company’s 45,000 square foot facility based at Marudi Creek, and every item is free from preservatives or artificial additives and packed with healthy fats and antioxidants.

Artisan bean to bar chocolate company, Cacoa Sainte Lucie, was founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Maria Jackson and is situated in Canaries on the west coast of St Lucia.

St Lucia has been associated with chocolate since the 1700s when the island exported its cacao beans to Europe where it was used to make some of the finest chocolate in the world.

Cacoa Sainte Lucie continues the tradition of using local, organic cocoa farmers to create its authentic handcrafted chocolate products such as bars, cocoa nibs, milk chocolate, truffles, and chocolate coated nuts.

Ms Jackson is a skilled chocolatier who is also passionate about enhancing her community by providing employment and passing on her passion for cacao.

Established in 1992, Coffee Roasters of Jamaica Limited (parent company ‘Country Traders’) is a family-run business which started out distributing other coffee brands before managing director, Mark Fletcher, decided to set up his own roastery and begin distributing his own blend.

Mark went to the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board to learn the fine art of coffee making and then set about establishing a talented team of coffee lovers to produce 100% authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain® coffee.

Shortly after Mark set up the business, his dad John, who has years of food manufacturing experience, came on board and together they have taken their coffee brand to another level.

Coffee Roasters of Jamaica currently supplies approximately 2,000 pounds of coffee every week to the local market and the Jamaican tourism industry, and its export strategy involves working with small and specialised distributors in the US, UK, Germany, Canada, and China.

Jamaica Blue Mountain® coffee accounts for “half of Country Traders’ business value,” according to the company website, but they also produce another blue mount blend and an authentic Jamaica blend, which is a combination of low mountain coffee and imported blends for distribution.

Coffee Roasters of Jamaica is one of just ten Jamaican roasters recognised and licensed by the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board. One of the reasons for its ongoing success is the close contact it has with its coffee farmers which ensures they produce the highest quality coffee beans.

Bahamian brand Native Organics LLC is on a mission to “help any individual seeking to maintain their overall health and skin” with its range of 100% natural, herbal dietary supplements.

The company was started in February 2015 by sole proprietor and founder Nelticka Moxey. The idea came out of her work as a palliative care nurse, when she would often hear patients and relatives expressing their preferred desire for a natural pathway to health, as opposed to chemically based medications with severe side effects.

Ms Moxey began research, testing, and developing a line of plant-based, organic vitamins and supplements from indigenous ingredients with proven health benefits such as moringa, turmeric, ginger, aloe vera, and sea moss.

Native Organics supplements can assist with a range of ailments including joint stiffness, allergies, immune health, and digestive problems. The supplements are suitable for vegans and contain no sugar, salt, preservatives, or additives.

Choko Lakay is a Haitian company run by businesswoman Jheline Avrilien.

Started in 2016, Choko Lakay specialises in crafting organic, fair-trade chocolate, and partners with associations of organic cocoa producers in northern Haiti to produce cocoa powder and other premium products including dark chocolate spread and chocolate cookies.

Despite the challenges of operating from Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, Choko Lakay’s stated vision is to “become one of the best manufacturing companies of cocoa products” and its mission is “to promote the sustainable development of the agro-industrial sector” in Haiti.

Caribbean people have an unmistakable gift for infusing spice, heat, and flavour into every occasion, and our island cuisine is no exception!

Hot sauce might be our ‘go-to’ condiment, but many producers across the region have also started introducing a wide variety of tropical ingredients into other types of sauces, dressings, seasonings, and marinades.

Five leading Caribbean food brands are excited to be sharing what they have to offer in the competitive sauce and condiment market at the world’s biggest food fair, ‘SIAL Paris 2022’.

Naledo Belize Ltd, Sishado from Suriname, Vincyfresh Ltd, Flauriel from St Kitts and Nevis, and Barbados’ Superb Blend, are all exhibiting at the major event from 15-19 October with the support of the Caribbean Export Development Agency and the European Union.

SIAL Paris 2022 brings together thousands of producers, importers, buyers, and retailers to network and connect. This prestigious platform will offer these Caribbean agro-processors the ideal chance to show how their products can satisfy the public’s growing interest in Caribbean-inspired flavours, while also ticking the healthy living box.

According to Statista, the global sauces and condiments market is currently worth $227.90bn (US) and is expected to grow annually by 5.78% from 2022-2027. A key factor behind this growth is the consumers’ desire for more tasty, nutritious food.

Naledo Belize is uniquely positioned to capitalise on the upward trajectory for natural sauces and condiments as the world’s first producer of wildcrafted, whole-root turmeric.

The company’s flagship product, ‘Truly Tumeric’, has won countless awards, along with admiration and recognition for its proven health benefits, coupled with the versatility of the product which enhances any meal.

Naledo is managed by mother and daughter team Umeeda and Nareena Switlo. They started the business in 2016 and have focused on keeping their product line as simple as possible, with the contents list containing only whole root turmeric, cold pressed coconut oil, fresh lime juice, and sea salt. The black pepper version incorporates pepper that is cultivated in Belizean forests.

In addition, Naledo is run as a social enterprise that works directly with over 300 small-scale growers based in Toledo, Belize to ensure they are paid a fair price. The company is also a certified B Corporation which means it has met strict social and environmental standards in relation to performance, accountability, and transparency.

Naledo’s ‘Truly Turmeric’ paste is currently sold in over 1,000 retailers in Canada, America, UK, and Europe and online and attracts followers from all over the world who enjoy its deep flavour.

In Suriname, Sishado sauce is a household name renowned for its consistent quality and taste.

Produced by family-owned company, Gom Food Industries NV, Sishado was started in 1996 by mother and son Yvonne and Kenneth van Gom, who based their sauce on Yvonne’s homemade recipe, and initially started bottling the product out of a small shed.

Sishado soon proved popular among family, friends, and acquaintances and was then introduced to the Surinamese public in 1997.

Gom Food Industries quickly expanded within the local market before branching out with exports to the Netherlands, Aruba, and Curacao. Sishado also started exporting to Guyana in 2011, Antiqua in 2014 and French-Guyana in 2016 and has plans to move into more Caribbean and European markets.

Sishado sauces and marinades come in eight different varieties. They are gluten-free, suitable for vegetarians, and do not contain any artificial sweeteners.

Vincyfresh Ltd (a subsidiary of Winfresh Limited) prides itself on offering authentic, high-quality products “filled with the rich history of the Windward Islands”.

Managed by Vincentian entrepreneur Shelly-Ann Fraser, Vincyfresh produces small batch sauces, marinades, and jellies made from familiar island ingredients such as jalapeño pepper, mango, ginger, and passion fruit.

The brand works with farmers all over the region to transform their produce into condiments that give every dish a splash of Caribbean colour and taste. The Vincyfresh range goes particularly well with crackers, chips, and breadsticks.

The Flauriel food brand will also be on display at SIAL Paris 2022. Produced by Kittian entrepreneur Anastasha Elliott, Flauriel is a vegan and organic label which includes ketchup, jams, jellies, and salad dressings.

Every single product is methodically handmade by an all-female team who use traditional extraction and infusion techniques which have been passed down through generations.

The ingredients list is easy to understand and features various fruit and superfoods including coconut, sorrel, soursop, guava, hibiscus, and mango.

Jay Enterprise Inc is a Barbadian-based, family company offering a wide variety of traditional and gourmet condiments, sauces, wet and dried seasonings, and marinades, under the Superb Blend brand.

The Superb Blend range draws on a rich heritage of Caribbean recipes that have been handed down through five generations by the beloved matriarch of the family, Grandma Marjorie.

All Superb Blend products, which include spicy mango chutney, zesty onion relish, and tangy Carambola sauce, are made with the health-conscious consumer in mind and therefore contain less sugar than similar food items.

The Superb Blend offers customers “authenticity and convenience”, as well as a touch of nostalgia as the flavours take you back to Grandma’s kitchen, where the food was served with love, and always tasted good.

If you’ve ever sipped a rum while the sun goes down as you chill out at a beach bar or beside a hotel pool, you’ll know how good the beverage tastes poured over ice, and how well it evokes feelings of calm, warmth, and relaxation.

Originating in Barbados in the early 1600s, the spirit has played a pivotal role in the history and culture of the entire Caribbean region. But even the enslaved Africans who discovered it by fermenting sugarcane molasses could not have imagined the drink they called ‘kill-devil’ (which later became known as ‘rumbullion’ or ‘rumbustion’) would eventually be enjoyed around the world.

In fact, the global rum market was valued at $11.26 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% from 2022 to 2028, mainly fuelled by the introduction of new flavours and the rising popularity of premium products.

Consumers demanding a unique and authentic rum experience will naturally be drawn to its ancestral home in the Caribbean, where producers have remained true to its tradition and heritage, while sensitively working to adapt the drink to ensure that its appeal continues to entice new generations.

At SIAL Paris 2022, three Caribbean distillers will be demonstrating their range of traditional and non-traditional rum products.

The St Lucia Distillers Group of Companies, Chicharum SRL and J&J Spirits, SRL are taking part in the world’s leading food fair from 15-19 October with the assistance of the Caribbean Export Development Agency and the European Union.

SIAL Paris gives these rum brands the chance to engage with 310,000 retailers, buyers, and importers from around the world who are looking for exceptional products that can capture and excite their customers’ imagination.

The St Lucia Distillers Group of Companies (SLD Group) has over 50 years’ experience with rum and was initially managed by the Barnard family who have been rum distillers for almost a century.

Located in the agriculturally rich town of Roseau, this boutique rum distillery uses copper stills to produce over 25 quality rums and rum products from premium rums and liqueurs to traditional pouring rums.

According to its website, the SLD Group is “not afraid to take risks and is always innovative,” which has led to it winning several awards, including the prestigious gold medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in 2012 for its flagship premium rum Admiral Rodney.

The SLD Group is also focused on corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability. Rainwater is harvested and treated for use in the blending of rums, steam turbines run the distiller plant, the boiler operates primarily on recovered waste oil, and effluent discharge from the distillery meets EU standards. The Group has also awarded secondary school scholarships for children in the local community and at least 30% of its workers are St Lucians.

‘Chicharon The World’s Cinnamon Rum’ is produced in the Dominican Republic by Chicharum SRL and is specifically targeted at millennials who are attracted to spiced or flavoured rums especially for mixing with cocktails.

Handcrafted with aged rum, cinnamon, and green chili extracts, ‘Chicharon The World’s Cinnamon Rum’ is a trendsetting, original product with a spicy kick and aromatic flair that takes rum to a different taste level. All the ingredients are natural and sourced locally.

The marketing of Chicharon is inspired by the company’s Spanish heritage and incorporates a connection to pork rinds or ‘Chicharrón’, a popular fried finger food recognised by the Latin community around the world, along with the Spanish word for rum – ron.

J&J Spirits, SRL is a pioneering family business based in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

This company manufactures a range of exotic rum-based products including their signature, ready-to-drink ‘Kalembú Mamajuana’. This traditional beverage was originally made by native Taino Indians who used it as a potent herbal medicine and is widely consumed throughout the Dominican Republic.

Blending dark rum with red wine, honey, tree bark, roots, and botanical herbs Mamajuana is believed to aid in digestion, circulation, and many other ailments.

J&J Spirits was one of the first companies to commercially produce Mamajuana and currently makes three varieties – the original Kalembú, Kalembú Café rum with coffee beans, and Kalembú Guavaberry rum.

J&J’s version of Mamajuana has been embraced by the global drinks market and is currently distributed in the United States, various Caribbean islands, Chile, Peru, Germany, and China.

Although rum is synonymous with the Caribbean, the region also has some award-winning wine producers, including Trinidad-based V’Toria Rhonda Vineyard & Winery which is also exhibiting at SIAL Paris 2022.

Started in 2012 by winemaker Nekeisha Charles, this brand crafts innovative, premium wines from exotic, tropical fruits blended with grape varietals.

V’Toria Rhonda Vineyard & Winery currently offers six non-vintage wines made with local ingredients; Love Affair with sorrel and Concord, True Passion from passion fruit and Sauvignon Blanc, Just Perception made from pomegranate and Zinfandel, Pure Diamond from rice and Riesling, Remember Me which is orange and Muscat, and Discover made from grapefruit and Merlot.

In January 2020, the winery established a passionfruit vineyard, the first one of its kind in the Caribbean, and Ms Charles has also diversified into making wine jelly and plans to add chocolate wine bars to her product list.

Ms Charles named her brand in honour of her grandmother, Victoria Richardson Harper, and her handwritten initials, extracted from an old letter which she signed ‘VR’, can be seen proudly printed on the label of every bottle offering them her personal stamp of approval!

Promoting fair trade and organic cocoa among farmers and transforming the image of Haitian cocoa worldwide. These are the ambitious but realistic objectives of the Fédération des Coopératives Cacaoyères du Nord (FECCANO – Northern Cocoa Cooperatives Federation), which has managed to position itself both on the local and community level and on the international market.  

It has been said that the inhabitants of the Northern parts of Haiti are a proud people, particularly owing to their contribution to the founding of their nation. The 4,000 cocoa farmers who are members of FECCANO can also be proud. Founded in 2001 by six cooperatives, the federation has become in its 20 years a leading player in the production of fermented cocoa in Haiti. It now brings together eight cooperatives, has developed a formal structure and is constantly improving its skills, knowledge and the quality of its cocoa. This growth is encouraged by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) through its programme to support the cocoa/chocolate value chain in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 

Haitian cocoa has a remarkable intrinsic quality. Whether criollo, trinitario or forestero, its fruity aromas and its characteristics stem from the old varieties cultivated by the farmers, but also from a soil favorable to the production of a high-quality cocoa. The average annual production is currently estimated at 400 tons with an annual growth rate of about 20%. This is very little compared to the national volume estimated at 6,000 tons annually, and 60,000 tons in the Dominican Republic. 

Haitian cocoa farmers have long been dependent on intermediaries: traders, hucksters, speculators and exporters, working within a monopoly market, who have always offered very low prices. Since its establishment in 2001, FECCANO works directly with the cocoa farmers. This arrangement has led to the recovery of the added value of the product and increased producers’ income. “Back then, we used to cut down cocoa trees, but today we plant cocoa” boasts Guito Gilot, one of the founding members.

In the ‘Jardin créole’ as the Haitian vegetable garden is known, in the shade of the cocoa trees, farmers not only cultivate yams and plantains, but also cassava, beans, corn, chayote, etc. Fruit trees, especially citrus trees, associated with cocoa trees, feed the family, but also give the soil and the land a quality that will give each cocoa its particular flavor. This Creole garden, at the heart of the Haitian ecosystem, is at the root of the Haitian family survival. Even though it has slowed down the development of cocoa production, considered as secondary, it could however be its future thanks to the promotion of the whole chain and the particular taste associated with each type of soil. 

In 20 years, the cocoa exported has changed category. Through training, sharing of good practices, and better knowledge of their product, FECCANO has helped farmers, both male and female (40% of the members are women), who grew a few cocoa trees underneath mango trees, become exporters of beans certified according to organic and fairtrade standards. It is worth noting that it is the fermentation process, an essential step to release the “precursors” of aromas and to obtain a quality product, which has been a turning point, when for decades the cocoa in the area (and in the country) was not fermented and therefore sold at lower prices.  

Since 2008, with the technical assistance of a French NGO (AVSF) and the support of the Conseil Départemental des Hauts-de-Seine (France) (Departmental Council of Hauts-de-Seine), FECCANO has undertaken to mastering the fermentation process to enhance the value of its cocoa. It has gradually positioned itself as the pioneer of quality cocoa across the country, before becoming the national leader and building a global image. In 2011, FECCANO obtained the Ecocert certification. Two of the largest international chocolate companies, Ethiquable and Valrhona, have become its biggest buyers. In 2013, FECCANO obtained the SPP (Fair Trade) certification, and in 2013 and 2015, it obtained the Cocoa of Excellence prize awarded by the International Cocoa Awards. It grew to 7 member cooperatives in 2014, and then to 8 in 2018. Simultaneously to this growth, the Federation is working to change mentalities.

“We are committed to respecting the environment and are keen to incorporate practices relative to the conservation of biodiversity and food safety into our processes,” explains Jean Guillaume Célestin, executive director of the Federation. FECCANO plays a key role in raising awareness, providing guidance and personalized assistance to farmers. “It was not easy to convince farmers of the benefits of the cocoa tree “regeneration” program when it was put forward in 2015. We recommended introducing new seedlings on these 60 to 80-year-old plots and carrying out a diagnosis to implement the systematic pruning of the oldest trees. They were afraid that the plot would be less productive. I was afraid of it myself…” says Dejean Phanord, chairman of the board of directors. But it was proven to be the best approach.  

Today FECCANO wants to go further… And Caribbean Export supports it through a program financed by the trade and private sector support component of the bi-national HT-RD program under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) of the European Union.  In June 2021, the Agency organized a virtual training on quality management systems, certification management and cupping. The objective was to strengthen the knowledge of FECCANO staff in Haiti, to orient them towards competitiveness and enable the network’s cocoa to have a better image and to carve out a place for itself in the specialty cocoa market.  

Following this training, FECCANO intends to provide technical assistance and work on a strategy to improve the quality of their cocoa and direct it towards a higher value market.  A field visit will allow them to develop a concise, effective and appropriate strategy. These corrective and preventive actions should improve production and post-harvest processes, resulting in better quality and the possibility of reaching higher value markets. 

Early this year, Caribbean Export supported the creation of a website that will introduce FECCANO and its member cooperatives to customers and the general public, as well as the different services and products the federation provides. In February 2022, the Agency also organized meetings with other cocoa sector professionals. This project which aimed to exchange best practices was organized with the National Confederation of Dominican Cocoa Farmers, CONACADO (for its acronym in Spanish), with the aim of learning about their promotional strategies and marketing of Dominican cocoa, their production and processing techniques and organizational management mechanisms implemented in the Dominican Republic, the leading exporter of organic cocoa in the world. Following this, FECCANO has included the process of making chocolate from the bean to the bar in its future projects. “This is part of the challenges to be undertaken, along with our efforts to increase production and competitiveness, and therefore convince producers to plant more. But not only that… we need a real cocoa policy in Haiti, with institutional strategies on agriculture, and also on transportation. Most of the production areas are very isolated and fairly inaccessible,” explains JG Célestin.  

Changing the image of Haitian cocoa takes time, but the results are very promising. FECCANO has guided its members, accompanied the farmers, and stimulated a solidarity that has helped them achieve the vitality of an organized national producer. Of the 8 member cooperatives, all are certified fair trade (SPP), 4 are already certified organic and the other 4 are in the process of being certified. With a significant increase in exports (50% between 2020 and 2021) and support such as that offered by Caribbean Export which focused on the value chain, the dream of going from the bean to the chocolate bar could become reality. The 8 cooperatives now ensures the fermentation process is undertaken. The federation receives the beans ready for export and can test them in its laboratory. Thanks to the recent virtual capacity training on cupping, FECCANO is now able to evaluate its roasted product. It is only one step away from the bar!